Sonic Experiment
by BearfootTruck
Summary: Bored out of his mind, Sonic takes part in an experiment at a local university. His friends join him too, not knowing what they are to be subjected to. Rated M for strong language, violence, torture, references to violent situations, suggestive content and attempted rape. Part Two of the "Hedgehogs in Prison" miniseries.
1. Minuet of Boredom

**A/N: Although listed as the second part of the "Hedgehogs in Prison" miniseries, you are not legally required to read "Scared Sonic" before reading this one. Just like the other story, I gotta warn you that there will be strong language and some disturbing material in this story, so if that squicks you, please turn away. Otherwise, read on for one of the most frightening experiments ever!**

* * *

_"I was on summer break from my first year in college, and uh…I was looking for a job. I had to choose between that and making pizzas, and that sounded like a lot more fun…"_

_"I was told that I couldn't quit, and at that point, I just felt totally hopeless…more hopeless than I'd ever felt before…"_

_"We were continually called upon to act in a way that just…was contrary to what I…really feel inside…"_

_"I've never screamed so loud in my life…never been so upset in my life, and it was an experience of being out of control…"_

* * *

Sonic the Hedgehog was bored out of his mind. This blue hedgehog was a dude of action, so one might think he wouldn't fall prey to such spells. Well, apparently not today. Today, he was lying on the couch in his Station Square apartment. The apartment was only a bit larger than a hotel room, having a small bedroom, dining room/kitchen, a living room and a small bathroom, plus a closet. Despite being low on luxuries, it was acceptably clean – perfect for somebody out on their own for the first time, perhaps. At the moment, Sonic was coasting through TV channels:

*KSSSHT*

"I don't want to lose you tonight…"

*KSSSHT*

"It's so cold in the D…"

*KSSSHT*

"John, I'm pregnant with your child!"

*KSSSHT*

"…37 people were killed in a suicide attack…"

*KSSSHT*

"They're eating her, and then they're…"

*KSSSHT*

"Our prices are INSAAAAAAAAAAANE!"

*KSSSHT*

"New evidence suggests that Dr. Eggman loves pudding…"

*CLICK*

Sonic shut off the TV and threw the remote aside.

"This is bogus!" exclaimed Sonic. "There's nothin' on!"

Just then, Miles "Tails" Prower entered the living room. The little orange fox was carrying today's newspaper.

"Hey Sonic, how's it going?" asked Tails.

"Boring!"

"What's wrong?"

"I dunno, Tails; I just don't feel like doin' anything today!"

"How come?"

Sonic threw his hands up. "I dunno! It's just…well…"

"Sonic, you're always up for excitement! Why don't you go out and run around?"

"See, that's the thing: I just don't feel like doin' that, either! I mean, haven't we covered the whole planet by now?"

Tails put his hand up to his chin. "I don't think so…"

"OK, so if we haven't done that, then name one place where we haven't gone!"

Tails scratched his head. "Well…uh…we haven't gone…to…uhhh…"

"Don't ya see, Tails? We've been everywhere! Plus, Robuttnik hasn't been messin' around lately…at least, not that I heard…so what's the point?"

"I guess I know how you feel. Here, why don't you read the newspaper?" Tails handed the paper to Sonic.

Sonic looked at the paper and shrugged. "Ah, what the heck? I guess I could get a few brainwaves from this!"

Meanwhile, Tails walked over to the window. "I'm going out to explore the city. I'll be back soon, Sonic!"

"OK, party on, Tails!"

Tails jumped out the window and flew away using the power of his twin tails. In the meantime, Sonic kicked back and started reading the paper, _The Station Square Tablet_.

"All right, let's dig it…" At first, Sonic didn't find anything interesting, just a bunch of stories about fires, murders, robberies, rising unemployment rates, wiretapping and assorted garbage that people don't usually want to hear about nowadays. The only thing that kept him going was a story about a criminal who stole a television and was arrested when he returned to steal the remote control. Sonic got a few chuckles from that one, but even then, he was still very much bored with the paper. Then, just as he was about to give up on reading it entirely, a classified ad caught his eye:

"WANTED:

Male citizens to take part

in a behavioral experiment

on criminal justice matters.

Subjects will be paid

$150 per day for two weeks.

For further inquiries,

mail or visit us at:

Station Square University,

993 Rosen Drive,

Station Square, ED, 62391

or call:

1-691-555-0155

or E-mail us at:

behavioralsciences at squ dot edu

"

"150 green?" said Sonic. "I'm there, dude!"

* * *

**Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.**


	2. The Inquiry

Sonic ran down to Station Square University. Given his super speed, it didn't take him but a few seconds. As visitors were required to do, he checked into the Visitors' Center, a small office next to the Safety & Security Center. It was typical of the kind of offices that one might find in the average educational institution, with a bulletin board, some posters, and other knick-knacks that are unimportant to this story. Seated at the desk was a purple hedgehog wearing glasses.

"Yo, 'scuse me, pal," said Sonic, "but I got your guys' ad in the paper and I was just wonderin' where the Behavioral Sciences Center was?"

"It's in the Green Hall," replied the other hedgehog. "Go around the block to the right, take the elevator up to the second floor, go right and it will be four doors down from there. I'll give you a temporary pass."

"Thanks! Gotta juice, Bruce!"

* * *

After getting his pass, Sonic followed the guy's directions to the Behavioral Sciences Center. The interior was painted in plain white and had ordinary carpeting. When he got there, he saw another desk to his left. Surprisingly, he knew the person sitting there: Rouge the Bat.

"Yo, Rouge!" exclaimed Sonic.

"Well hello, Big Blue!" said Rouge. "What might I do for you today?"

"Look, I saw this ad in the paper about some experiment and I wanna give it a go!"

"Ah yes, of course! Just follow me to the waiting room." Rouge got up and led Sonic down the hall directly across from the door. After taking a left, the two stopped at the first door they came to.

"Here we are," said Rouge. "Don't forget to take a number!" Sonic took a number ticket from a nearby reel, number 62.

"Good luck, Big Blue!" Rouge winked at him seductively and returned to her post.

Sonic opened the door to the waiting room and saw a couple of familiar faces here already: Knuckles the Echidna, Shadow the Hedgehog and Espio the Chameleon. He also saw a couple of guys he hadn't seen in a long time: Bark the Polar Bear, Bean the Dynamite and Ray the Flying Squirrel, among others. There were also some unfamiliar faces here: A couple of cats, some wolves, some humans, etc…

"Sonic, over here!" Next to Tails, there was an empty spot on the black leather couch he was sitting on, which Sonic took.

"Tails, you know about this thing, too?"

"Yeah, I saw an ad on one of the buses. I got curious about the whole thing, so I decided to sign up."

"That a fact?"

Tails smiled. "Well, you know me and science!"

"OK, I can dig it!" Sonic gave a thumbs up.

"Don't get too excited, you two," said Shadow, "This experiment will only prove my superiority!"

"Shadow, we don't even know what this experiment's about!" said Knuckles. "How do you know it's going to prove your superiority?"

"If you read the advertisement, you would have known that it had something to do with criminal justice, you fool! By that virtue alone, I know I'll reign supreme!"

Sonic nudged Knuckles gently. When Rad Red turned to face Sonic, the Blue Blur gestured towards Shadow, faced Knuckles and then made a talking gesture with his hand, suggesting that Shadow was being nonsensical. Initially, Knuckles was confused by Sonic's gesture, but after a few moments, he realized what the Blue Blur meant and nodded.

A couple of seconds later, a man emerged from another door. The man was a big, balding man with gray hair, a toupee, a mustache and a long beard. He was also wearing a pair of Aviator sunglasses.

"Number 49, please!" said the man. Silver the Hedgehog followed him into the room. Sonic regarded the man with a raised eyebrow.

"What's wrong, Sonic?" asked Tails.

"Call me crazy, but there's somethin' familiar about that man!" replied Sonic. "I'm probably just worryin' about nothing, though."

* * *

Eventually, Sonic's number was called up. He sat down at a table in the next room, facing the man.

"Good afternoon, sonny boy!" said the man. "My name is Dr. Tobor. Now, I suppose you're wondering about what this experiment entails, right? Well, here's what it's about: I am conducting an investigation on the causes of unrest in our country's prison system. To this end, I have designed a false prison on the grounds of this university. Given the nature of this experiment, there is a chance that you will be deprived of your civil rights for two weeks. However, before you leave, I should like to remind you that this is merely an experiment and that you may back out should you choose to do so! Before we begin, I need you to sign this consent form. If you do not wish to take part, then you may hand back this form and leave. What'll it be, sonny boy?"

Sonic read the form carefully. To sum up, the form stated that he consented to follow the rules during the whole thing or else forfeit his payola. Furthermore, it contained other legal disclaimers, one of which said that the experimenter could not be held liable for Sonic's actions nor those of the other test subjects. After a couple minutes of careful ponderance, Sonic printed his name, put down his signature, the current date and any other information that would be required. Afterwards, he handed the form back to Dr. Tobor.

"Splendid!" Dr. Tobor clapped his hands together. "Now, let us begin. Do you have a history of violence?"

"No," replied Sonic. Dr. Tobor was taking notes on a notepad.

"Have you ever been incarcerated?"

"No."

"Never?"

"Nope."

"Religion?"

"No."

"Interesting answer. This is not usually a yes or no question. Ordinarily, people respond with all sorts of gray areas."

"Hey man, if ya say there's a higher power, I can dig it! However, I usually don't go to church or nothin', ya know?"

"OK then, so how do you base your ethical decisions?"

"Right here, baby!" Sonic patted the area of his chest over his heart.

* * *

Tails had been called up before Sonic, and he was talking about his childhood during the interview:

"At first, I had a pretty rough childhood. I never even knew my real parents that well. But then Sonic came along, and my childhood has never been better!"

"Interesting," said Dr. Tobor. "Now, do you believe in absolute right and wrong?"

"Well…not really," Tails scratched his head. "I mean, there are a few things that I know are absolutely wrong, like murder, but sometimes, it's OK to kill someone…I guess."

* * *

Likewise, Shadow had also been called up before Sonic.

"I have only one rule:" said Shadow. "Defend the people of this planet at ALL costs."

* * *

Dr. Tobor led Sonic to a booth of some sort with a door on it. It vaguely resembled one of those instant photo booths, albeit with an evil…something to it. Perhaps it could've inspired a budding director to make a plodding, low-budget horror film about photo booths.

"Would you step into this booth, please?" asked Dr. Tobor. Sonic did so, and Dr. Tobor attached a bunch of wires to Sonic's head.

"Hey, what's with all these wires?" asked Sonic.

"I shall only be taking a few readings. Just sit back and watch the screen there."

With Sonic all hooked up, Dr. Tobor closed the door. A few seconds later, the monitor in the booth started playing a medley of disturbing footage: Wars. Gang violence. Horror films. Torture sequences. Measles. Images designed to produce painful psychological reactions in anyone whose mind was not so far twisted that they lacked any sense of compassion. To provoke further reactions, these disconcerting clips were juxtaposed with more innocuous footage: Children playing. Couples frolicking through flowery fields. Families having merry Christmases. The way they were mixed together, it was almost as some deranged madman had created this with the purpose of reminding people just how easily their lives could be flipped turned upside down.

Then, just at the moment where Sonic had pretty well had enough, the video stopped. Dr. Tobor opened the door to the booth.

"Very good, sonny boy!" said Dr. Tobor. "That's all for now!"

Sonic breathed a sigh of relief as Dr. Tobor disconnected all of the wires.

"OK…now what?" asked Sonic.

"Don't worry, you are all set for now! We will contact you with further instructions."

"OK, smell ya later!" Sonic ran back to his apartment.

* * *

Back at the apartment, Sonic and Tails were having a conversation over supper. Sonic ordered some chili dogs as takeout, while Tails ordered some steak and cheese grinders.

"So, what do you think of the experiment so far?" asked Tails.

"I dunno, Tails…" replied Sonic. "This whole gig smells like a trap!"

"Really? What makes you think it could be a trap?" Tails took another bite of his sandwich.

"Well, what kinda experiment would take away your civil rights?"

"Sonic, it's only an experiment! I'm sure that the researchers are going to make sure that nothing bad happens to us!"

"Maybe they are, but that don't make me feel much better." Sonic gobbled down another chili dog.

"Just relax, Sonic! Whatever happens, we'll make it through fine! After all, you're the one who always told me that we'll make it no matter what!"

"OK, OK…I'll go through with this. That don't mean I'm gonna let my guard down, but hey, as long as they're payin' us the 150 clams each day, I can dig that!"

After finishing supper and taking care of his plate and garbage, Sonic plopped himself on the couch and decided to watch some TV.

"Yo Tails, wanna watch the tube with me?" asked Sonic.

"No thanks!" replied Tails. Sonic flipped through the channels, but unlike his earlier attempt at channel surfing, he succeeded in finding something that looked interesting: _Space Laser Force_.

Once the movie was finished, Sonic took a shower, brushed his teeth and did some overall freshening up. With that taken care of, he went to watch some more TV until he fell asleep.

* * *

**Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.**


	3. The Setup

Sonic awoke to the sounds of an early morning infomercial. As he got up, he shut off the TV and headed to the dining room/kitchen for breakfast.

"Heh?" Sonic knew that Tails usually got up for breakfast earlier than him, so he went to the bedroom to see what was up.

"Tails, you up yet?" asked Sonic. However, closer inspection of the bed revealed that Tails was not here, baffling Ol' Blue even more.

"He must've gone flyin' around the city again. Ah well, time to fix some grub!"

In the fridge, Sonic found a pack of sausages, so he cooked some of those plus a few pancakes for breakfast. He ate his breakfast much faster than he cooked it. He was just going to the bathroom when he heard somebody knock on the door.

"Yeah, who is it?" asked Sonic.

"Police officer!" said a female voice out in the hallway.

"Police?" Sonic raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. Still he kept his cool. "What do ya want?"

"Open the door, now!" said the officer.

"Why should I?"

"Just open the door!"

Sonic let out a low growl. "Fine, I'm comin' over!" When he got to the door, Sonic looked through the peephole and saw…nobody?

"Hey, what are ya tryin' to pull here?" demanded Sonic.

"Please, open the door!" said the officer

"Look, quit tryin' to fake me out and just tell me what ya want!"

"We just want to talk to you, that's all!"

Sonic though it over for a bit. "OK, I'm hip to that! Come on in!" He opened the door and let the officer – a human – in.

"Sonic the Hedgehog?" asked the officer.

"The one and only!" Sonic looked over to the side and put his fists on his hips.

The officer pointed her M1911 at Sonic. "You're under arrest!"

Sonic put his hands up. "What!? W…what'd I do!?"

"You've been charged with first-degree murder!"

Sonic was trembling. "No…I-I'm innocent, I swear!"

"That's what they all say. Get your hands behind your head!"

"Okay…" Sonic slowly put his hands behind his head. Suddenly, he attempted to flee from the officer. However, before he could get to the door, he was stopped by a helmeted officer – also human – wielding an Ithaca 37. Ordinarily, he would've kept going, but the shock of staring down the business end of that pump-action shotgun was too much for the Blue Blur.

"Take it easy!" said Sonic, sweat coming down his forehead. "Don't shoot, I surrender!"

"Up against the wall and spread 'em!" ordered the second officer. Sonic did as he was told. The first officer patted him down for weapons. As the first officer was handcuffing Sonic, the second officer gave him his rights:

"You have the right to remain silent. If you give up the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney during counseling. If you cannot afford one, one will be provided to you at no cost. Do you understand these rights?"

"Yeah, yeah…" replied Sonic. "Can we get this over with already?"

"That's enough from you!" said the second officer. "Come with us!" The first officer led Sonic along, while the second kept his shotgun trained on Big Blue. Outside, they put him in the back of their patrol car. The rear seat was one of those hard plastic types, a rather recent innovation.

"Ow, this seat is mondo uncomfortable!" exclaimed Sonic.

"Get used to it," said the first officer. "Where you're going, you'll be even less comfortable."

After everyone buckled up, the officers drove Sonic down to the police station for booking.

* * *

_"Let us move on to the topic of friendship," said Dr. Tobor. "What does that word mean to you?"_

_ "It means several things to me," replied Espio. "What part do you wish to know about?"_

Despite having been (falsely) charged with grand larceny, Espio was compliant towards his arresting officers. As he was riding in the patrol car, there was one thing that came to his mind when he thought about friendship…

_Team Chaotix stood atop the Final Fortress. The sky was dark and stormy, a fitting atmosphere for their showdown with the Egg Emperor, a large, brown robot with a shield and lance. As per tradition, Dr. Robotnik had so arrogantly designed this battle machine in his own image._

_ "Heh, looks like we're in a jam, boys!" said Vector._

_ "Evil must die!" exclaimed Espio. "Beware my ninja power!"_

_ "HA! Enough of this!" shouted Robotnik. "Espio, Charmy, Vector…time to meet your maker!" The two halves of the Egg Emperor came together, and the machine was ready for battle._

_ "Bring it on!" cried Charmy._

* * *

Even before Sonic and Espio were arrested, a few other volunteers had been ordered to report to the prison so they could be issued their uniforms and gear for their role as guards. Shadow made his way down the hallways of the makeshift prison to the locker room, which was normally used by the school's athletic teams during home games. Unlike the Behavioral Sciences Center, the halls of this building were made of cinder blocks painted a pale yellow, with matching vinyl tile. Some of the lights flickered intermittently.

As if the atmosphere of the building wasn't enough, the word "friendship" reminded Shadow of a dark day…

_Back at the Space Colony ARK, Shadow stepped into the escape capsule just before the door shut. Unfortunately, just when he turned around, he witnessed his sole friend – Maria Robotnik – get shot. Although mortally wounded, she had just enough strength left to initiate the launch sequence, and to leave some parting words:_

_ "Shadow, I beg of you…Please, do it for me! For all of the people on that planet…give them a chance to be happy! Let them live for their dreams…for a better future!"_

* * *

Though Tails was brave enough to go out to the fake prison on his own, he worried about Sonic. Their friendship meant everything to him. On the other hand, their relationship hadn't always been perfect…

_It was a beautiful day on Planet Freedom. Sonic and Tails were hanging out on the beach of their own little tropical island. While Sonic was maxin' and relaxin' in the shade, listening to rock 'n roll, Tails was out on the sea, riding a jet-propelled bodyboard that he'd just constructed. The Two-Tailed Wonder was having so much fun with his new toy. Suddenly, Sonic heard his best buddy screaming, so he sat up and removed his sunglasses._

_ "It's probably nothing." Sonic put his shades back on and got back to chillin'._

_ "Sonic, Help me!" shouted Tails. "Wake up, Sonic! Come on! Help! Help me! Wake up, Sonic!"_

_ "Grrrrr…SHUT UP, TAILS!" yelled Sonic, showing a callous disregard for the fact that Tails was being chased by an out-of-control jet piloted by Old Man Owl._

* * *

Eventually, the police car transporting Sonic pulled up to the University Station of the SQPD. Outside, it was a clean brick building. Inside, it had a checkerboard tile pattern on the floor and a wooden counter at the receiving station.

As if the shock of being arrested by real police officers wasn't enough, the Blue Blur was even more wide-eyed when he was brought into the station and forced to go through actual booking procedures with actual police officers. At this point, he became even more worried about Tails. They'd been apart before, but never in a strange situation like this. Ol' Blue's worry reminded him about their friendship and how it began…

_The sky was crystal clear in Emerald Hill Zone. Except for the random badniks choking the beauty of the landscape, the place was perfect. As Sonic was blazing through, Tails was flying behind him._ _Eventually, Sonic noticed that the fox was following him and screeched to a halt._

_ "Look kid, I said I don't need any…" Sonic trailed off when he noticed that Tails was flying. "You've got two tails!? Far out, kid!"_

_ "Yeah, isn't this great!?" said Tails._

_ "I'm impressed by your flyin', but like I said, I don't need any friends! Gotta speed, Keed!" Sonic kept on going. And, of course, Tails just couldn't help but follow Sonic._

_ "You wanna see me cry?" asked Tails, who promptly did so. He cried so much, in fact, that he formed a trail of tears. _

_"WHOOOOOAAAAA!" Sonic slipped on the wet ground and crashed into a boulder. He survived the collision, but he got a pretty nasty bump on the head._

_"Ow…" Sonic rubbed his head as he got up. "Okay, okay, ya got me! I'll let ya come along, but ya gotta be careful, OK!?"_

_"Really!? HOORAY!" exclaimed Tails._

* * *

After the booking process, Sonic was blindfolded and made to go for a walk. Soon, he was taken to the police department's shower room. A couple more officers were waiting there with what appeared to be a fire hose. There were humans and humanoid animals present here, just as there were with the university's student body and faculty.

After removing the blindfold, one of the officers told Sonic, "All right, Nancy, let's take those shoes and socks off!" Reluctantly, Sonic tossed his kicks aside.

"All right, let her have it!" said the same officer.

Sonic gulped. The officer with the hose sprayed Sonic's back, nearly knocking him off his feet.

Once he was done, the officer said, "All right, turn around, lady!"

"Why?" asked Sonic. "My mug can't be that ugly…can it?"

"Awww…what's the matter, Wally Wick? You got no dick?" The other officers had a good laugh. With a depressed sigh, Sonic turned around, getting sprayed again. For him – for pretty much anyone, for that matter – getting the front sprayed was worse than the back. Nevertheless, Big Blue held tough.

After his washdown, another one of the officers dried him off with a scratchy, uncomfortable towel.

"Hey hey hey, you're messin' up my 'do!" exclaimed Sonic.

"Get used to it, lady," said the officer. "Where you're goin', you won't have to worry about that! Let's go!"

After Sonic was as dry as a spell, he went to grab his footwear. However, another one of the officers stopped him.

"Oh, you won't need those where you're going, punk!" The officer put Sonic's blindfold back on. As Ol' Blue was being led away, another one of the officers collected his footwear and took it down to a storage room. See, somewhere within this area of the university campus, there was a storage room where the prisoners' footwear was being stored along with a few other belongings. That way, they could collect them when the experiment was over.

Getting back to the story at hand, the two officers who were escorting Sonic to the prison didn't just escort him to the prison. No, sirree. Rather, they decided to take what would be called the "scenic route" in the popular parlance. They walked him around the main floor of the police station for a bit, then spent a while walking around in the basement, and finally brought him back upstairs to go to the "prison", all while he was barefoot.

During his march of shame, Sonic wondered: _(Man, is this jive really necessary? I know the guy said that we'd be locked up for a bit, but how far do these cats have to go with it? Ah, I'll be outta here soon…)_

* * *

Back in the "prison" locker room, Tails and the other guards were getting their uniforms and gear ready. The uniform consisted of olive green BDUs with matching patrol caps, black combat boots, a whistle and an equipment belt, which included a nightstick and a set of handcuffs. On each jacket, there were two name tapes, one with the guard's legal surname (or "Shadow" in Shadow's case) and one that said "CORRECTIONS". Also, Shadow's cap had two gold bars on the front, while Tails' had a golden eagle. After they were all geared up, Dr. Tobor entered.

"Ah, I see my guards are all ready to help me further my scientific research!" said Dr. Tobor. "Now, before we go onwards, I would like to go over our roles. Based on the information gained from the interview process, I have chosen Mr. Prower to be the captain of the guards. Shadow, you will be his lieutenant. As the lieutenant, you are personally responsible for overseeing the other guards and for reporting to the captain."

_(Hmph, I am the Ultimate Life Form!)_ thought Shadow. _(I should be the captain, damn it!)_

"…As for me," continued Dr. Tobor, "I'll be the warden. If any of you bright young fellows have any questions for me, don't hesitate to ask! Now that we've gone over our roles, I would like to read the rules to you. Before I do so, please note that all of you have your shift assignments on the small slip of paper that's been attached to the rules. The only exceptions are the captain and lieutenant, who shall be present throughout all shifts. Now, enough dallying; let us go over the rules! These rules are to be followed by everybody at all times! Repeat after me, Rule number one: Guards must maintain law and order."

"We must maintain law and order," said the guards.

"Rule number two: Prisoners are to be fed three meals each day, and they must eat everything on their plates."

"Prisoners are to be fed three meals each day, and they must eat everything on their plates."

"Rule number three: Prisoners will get 30 minutes of recreation each day."

"Prisoners will get 30 minutes of recreation each day."

"Rule number four: Guards are forbidden to use physical violence against prisoners."

"WHOA WHOA WHOA!" exclaimed Shadow. "If we can't use violence, then why the hell did you give us batons!?"

"Yes…very good question!" replied Dr. Tobor. "They are mainly for deterrence purposes. Even though you are forbidden to use physical violence, you are allowed to threaten prisoners if they get out of order. Now, let us get back to the rules, shall we?"

"We are forbidden to use physical violence against prisoners," said the guards.

"Rule number five: Prisoners may not enter restricted areas."

"Prisoners may not enter restricted areas."

"Rule number six: Prisoners may speak only when spoken to."

"Prisoners may speak only when spoken to."

"Rule number seven: Prisoners are to be referred to only by their numbers."

"Prisoners are to be referred to only by their numbers."

"Very good!" said Dr. Tobor. "Remember: all violations must be punished commensurately."

Big the Cat raised his hand. "Duhh…what's 'commensurately'?"

"In other words, violations must be punished within a reasonable span of time," replied Dr. Tobor.

"And if we don't?" queried Tails.

"Should you fail to administer justice within a reasonable span of time, those red lights will activate…" Dr. Tobor pointed to a red "police" beacon that was attached to the wall, "…the experiment will be terminated, and none of you will get paid. Is that understood?"

All the guards saluted. "Sir, yes sir!"

"Excellent! Those of you who are on the first shift, please report to the cell block area along with the captain and lieutenant. Everyone else is free to go until the second shift. Good luck, everybody!"

* * *

**Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.**


	4. Day 1

The main cell block area of the fake prison was a disused cafeteria/activity center. It was decorated with white vinyl floor tiles and blue cinder blocks for the walls. The cells used to be offices with large windows, but the doors and windows had been removed and replaced with bars. At the other end of the cell block, near the kitchen area, there were some tables and chairs set up. There was also a temporary CCTV system installed here to monitor the prisoners.

On the floor, there was a line of duct tape running parallel to the cells, where Sonic, Knuckles, Espio, Storm the Albatross and the rest of the prisoners were lined up. On this line, in front of each prisoner, there was a uniform set. The prisoners' uniforms were old-school black-and-white striped uniforms – just as one might see in old movies or TV shows – plus a set of black shoes. They weren't exactly tailored to each individual prisoner, but they fit everyone well enough. Each uniform had the prisoner's number over the left breast.

_(Ah, it's not the worst thing I've worn…)_ thought Sonic as he put on his uniform.

After all the prisoners were dressed up and waited for a while, the guards arrived. Aside from Tails and Shadow, Big, Jet the Hawk, Antoine D'Coolette and Silver were on the first shift.

_(Hey, there's Tails!)_ thought Sonic. _(Hey, is he the captain or somethin'? Whoa, this is heavy…)_

"Good morning, prisoners," said Tails. "I'm the leader of the guards in this experiment, and Shadow's my lieutenant. Before we start, the warden wanted me to go over the rules with you guys. Repeat after me, Rule number one: You get three meals a day, and you have to eat everything."

"We get three meals a day, and we have to eat everything," said the prisoners.

"Rule number two: You all get 30 minutes of rec daily."

"We all get 30 minutes of rec daily."

"Rule number three: You can't go into restricted areas."

"We can't go into restricted areas."

"Rule number four: You may speak to us only when spoken to."

"We may speak to you only when spoken to."

"And those are all the rules," said Tails. "If you don't follow them, you'll be punished, got it?"

"Sir, yes sir!" said the prisoners.

"OK. Any questions?"

Sonic raised his hand.

"Yo Tails, how'd ya get to be captain of that outfit?"

"Well," replied Tails, "I…" Shadow tapped him on the shoulder and whispered something to him.

"Oh, sorry Sonic…" Shadow tapped Tails again, "…I mean 6-9-1, I don't think we're allowed to talk about that here."

"Right…" muttered Sonic.

"Anyways…" said Tails, "all of you will find your cell assignments attached to the cell doors. Any more questions?"

None.

"OK, then let's get started!"

Everyone went to find their cells. Sonic found his in less than a second. On the door, there was a piece of paper with his number – #691 – and under that, #022. The Blue Blur was less interested in finding out who his cell mate was than checking out the cell itself. His cell – like every other one – had a bunk bed, and most surprisingly, a functioning toilet + sink.

_(Man, how long did it take 'em to set all this up? They sure didn't spare any expense with this joint!)_

While Sonic was checking out his new home, he was interrupted:

"So, at long last we meet, _kotyoshen_."

The voice that Sonic heard behind him was a deep, menacing voice with a bit of an accent – like the random foreign word wasn't already a giveaway. The True Blue Hedgehog turned around slowly to see who his cellmate was. Standing behind him was a brown bear, twice his height and really muscular – prisoner #022. The very sight of this guy struck fear into Sonic's heart.

"You are enjoying your new home?" asked #022.

"Ah…i-i-it's OK…" replied Sonic, "…I guess…"

"I do hope you get used to it, _kotyoshen_."

"Right." Sonic rubbed the back of his head. "S-so…uh…like, w-what's your n-n-name? Outside of h-here…I mean…"

"Out there, I am called Rastrel."

"C-cool, man. I'm called Sonic…S-Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sonic offered a handshake to Rastrel. However, Rastrel left Big Blue hanging, so he lowered his hand.

"Yes, I have heard much about you," said Rastrel. "So have my comrades."

"R-right…of course ya have!" said Sonic.

"Let me make one thing clear, _kotyoshen_: Thus far, you are not worthy. If this was real prison, you would belong to me. However, since this is experiment, you are lucky."

"Heh heh…groovy! Thanks!"

"Do not thank me now. Is only day one. You have long way to go before you prove yourself worthy, da?"

"Y…yeah…right!"

While Sonic was not enjoying his prison term so far, other people thought differently, such as Bean the Dynamite.

"Oh my god, I have SHINIES in here!" shouted Bean. "I love shinies so much! This place is RIPPIN'!"

_(Yeah…really rippin'…)_ thought Sonic.

* * *

_"Why were you drawn to this experiment?" asked Dr. Tobor._

_ "I was seeking a true test of my spirit," said Espio._

_ "Scientific value," said Tails._

_ "What sort of scientific value does this hold for you?" asked Dr. Tobor._

_ "Well, I was sorta interested in finding out the same thing you wanted to find out."_

_ "Interesting, and yet, you seem quite young to be taking part. How old are you?"_

_ "I'm 8, but I once took a test that said my brain was at least 24."_

_ "So, why were you drawn to this experiment, Mr. Shadow?" asked Dr. Tobor._

_ "Power," replied Shadow._

_ "I should remind you that this is an experiment and that attempts to bend the results are highly discouraged."_

_ "I am the Ultimate Life Form! I thrive on discouragement!"_

_ "Very well. Do keep in mind, however, that your deepest desires aren't what they always seem to be."_

_ "Why were you drawn to this experiment, Mr. Silver?" asked Dr. Tobor._

_ "I wanted to study history," replied Silver._

_ "Adventure," replied Sonic._

* * *

Soon, it was time for the half an hour of rec. For rec, the prisoners and guards went out to the sports fields. Today, the prisoners were playing a game of football. On one team, there was Espio, Mighty the Armadillo, Bark, Storm, and a recolored fox that nobody cares about. On the other team, there was Sonic, Knuckles, Rastrel, Bean, and Nack the Weasel. Espio's team won the coin toss and chose to receive, while Sonic's team chose to defend the south goal.

With everybody in position, Sonic kicked off the game. Espio caught the ball, but Bean took him down at the offense's 30-yard line. Thankfully, prior to this game, even prior to the beginning of the experiment, Dr. Tobor was savvy enough to procure the necessary safety equipment for whatever activities the prisoners wanted to take part in. Thus, Espio was unhurt.

All that aside, the teams huddled up. When they decamped to the line of scrimmage, Mighty got the ball.

"Set…HIKE!" He snapped it to Espio, who attempted to pass it to the recolor. However, Sonic intercepted the pass and scored a touchdown for his team.

After spiking the ball, Sonic exclaimed, "You're too slow!"

Furious, Storm…er, stormed over to Tails, who was acting as one of the referees.

"Hey ref, that guy's cheatin'!" Storm gestured to Sonic with his thumb.

"How is he cheating?" asked Tails.

"Because he's the fastest guy on the field! He's gonna cream us!"

"I'm sorry, but that's not my problem, 1-1-4. I didn't pick the teams."

Storm shook his fist at Tails. "Aw, you suck, ref!"

Tails put his hands on his hips. "Please continue with the game, 1-1-4."

"NO! I ain't playin' with those friggin' cheaters!"

"Look, if you don't play, then I'm going to punish you. I'm sorry, but those are the rules."

Storm sighed. "OK…I'll keep playin."

Once the game resumed, Bean kicked the ball through the goal, netting an extra point for Sonic's team. For the next few minutes, the game proceeded in the normal fashion. At one point, Rastrel even shrugged off the combined force of Bark and Storm to score another touchdown. Then, at one play, Sonic had an idea.

"Yo Shadow, go long!" he shouted, chuckling as he threw the ball at Shadow. The Ultimate Life Form briefly glanced at Sonic before shifting his focus to the rest of the players. Then, the ball clonked him in the head. Enraged, he blew the whistle and ran over to the prisoners, who stopped playing.

"All right, which one of you threw the ball at me!?"

Some of the guys pointed to Sonic, so Shadow went over to him.

"6-9-1, did you throw the fucking ball at me!?"

"I-it was an accident, I swear!" replied Sonic.

"Oh, so you did throw the ball at me!" said Shadow

"Y-yeah, but it was an accident! I swear I'm not jivin' ya!"

Shadow paused for a second. "6-9-1…twenty pushups!"

"But I said it was an accident!"

"Oh…that changes everything! All of you…DROP AND GIVE ME TWENTY!"

All the other prisoners gave Shadow perplexed looks.

"DO IT, YOU PATHETIC MAGGOTS!"

Having gotten the message, everyone did as the lieutenant ordered, to varying degrees of success. Shadow even gave a little "encouragement" to those who were having difficulty doing pushups. Despite the fact that Sonic wasn't Mr. Olympia, he managed to do his twenty and still have energy left over.

* * *

After the game, Tails and Shadow went to the guards' barracks, which were actually unused dorms.

"Lieutenant, can I speak to you for a moment?" asked Tails.

"What is it, Captain?" queried Shadow.

"Did you have to be that harsh on the prisoners?"

"Captain, you know perfectly damn well what the rules are: If we don't punish them within a reasonable time, then this experiment is over."

Tails crossed his arms. "I know that, Lieutenant. However, I don't really think the punishment fit the crime. Besides, I heard 6-9-1 say that it was an accident."

"Hmph, you're so naïve. I can't believe the doctor made you our Captain. Hell, I'm surprised you didn't punish 1-1-4 for talking to you out of line."

"Well, I didn't really ask to become the Captain, but you'll just have to go along with that until this experiment is over, understood?"

Shadow saluted Tails. "Yes, sir." _(Wow, I never realized how much of an asshole he is…)_

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the cell block area, time passed without any further incidents. After supper, while everyone was in their cells…

"Interesting stunt, _kotyoshen_," said Rastrel. "Were you always this…spirited?"

"Yeah…I-I guess I had a bit of a streak goin' back in the world…" replied Sonic. "But really…that stunt was an accident! I didn't mean to clobber Shadow with the ball!"

"Did you? Perhaps your heart thought otherwise, da?"

"Heh?"

"Listen, _kotyoshen_, this may be experiment, but it is still prison. This place, it does things to men. The strong eat the weak. Is just like the real world. I am sure that you will find this out."

Rastrel climbed up onto the top bunk. As he turned, Sonic caught sight of a tiger tattoo on his neck. Ol' Blue was no expert on the subject of tattoos, but he was horrified because he realized exactly what it meant: Rastrel was a member of the Roseinian _Mafiya_. Almost immediately, the news headlines and stories flashed through his mind:

* * *

**23 KILLED AS TURF WARS HEAT UP**

**ROSEINIAN CRIME LORD MURDERED **

**SEVEN KILLED IN GANGLAND SLAYING**

"A smuggling ring organized by the Roseinian Mafiya was broken up by federal authorities in a daring raid…"

"Police are investigating a murder that they believe is connected to the Roseinian Mafiya…"

"In tonight's top news story, the Roseinian Mafiya – one of the most powerful criminal organizations in Columbia…"

* * *

Sonic stood there, frozen with fear. It was bad enough that he was sharing a cell with a known criminal, but now, something else ran through his mind: How did that guy even get in to this experiment? For that matter, how did Shadow get in? Shouldn't the interview process have weeded out "whackos"? Wouldn't the police have known about this guy? To Sonic, all of this smelled fishier than Red Lobster.

"Hey, are you all right?" asked Rastrel.

Sonic blinked a few times. "Uh…y-y-yeah! I-I guess I just…spaced out f-for a moment."

"Hm" was Rastrel's only response.

"All right, lights out, everyone!" said Tails. With the lights out, Sonic washed up a little before going to bed.

"Good night, Rastrel," said Sonic.

"Good night, _kotyoshen_."

That night, Sonic found it hard to sleep. He still hadn't gotten over the shock of being arrested and booked, seeing his best friend become the captain of the guards and being locked in a cell with a violent criminal. Sonic wasn't too sure about things right now, but he knew one thing for sure: The next two weeks were going to be one hell of a trip…

* * *

**Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.**


	5. Day 2

The next day, Shadow woke up the prisoners for the count. Being that everyone was present, Tails let the prisoners go eat breakfast. Today's breakfast consisted of sausage, oatmeal, an orange, and some unidentified slop. The prisoners could also choose between French toast and waffles. For beverages, there was water, orange juice or coffee.

Sonic picked French toast and orange juice. He was content to wolf down his sausages and French toast, he liked the orange and he was even okay with his oatmeal. However, he just couldn't wrap his mind around that unknown foodstuff, so he took his tray and made an inquiry to Jet:

"Excuse me, but what's this?" Sonic pointed to the unknown food.

"Just eat it!" replied Jet.

"Would ya mind tellin' me what it is first?" asked Sonic.

"It's scrambled eggs! Now go finish your breakfast!"

"Scrambled eggs?" Sonic looked at his tray with his tongue hanging out. "Actually…ya know what? I'm not hungry, but thanks anyways!" He attempted to hand his tray back to Jet, who pushed it back.

"Sorry, but the rules say ya have to eat everything on your tray!" said Jet.

"Look, I said I ain't hungry anymore!" said Sonic.

"Too bad! You still have to eat it!"

"Forget it, guard! I'm not eatin' that slop!"

"Just clean your plate, 6-9-1!"

"Screw you, man!" Sonic blew a Bronx cheer at Jet.

Jet shook his fist at Sonic. "Clean your plate or else!"

"Hey, if you're so tough, why don't ya clean it yourself!?"

"Shut up and eat the damn food!"

"Oh yeah!? EAT THIS!" Sonic hurled his tray at Jet, getting food all over his nice, clean uniform. Everyone in the cafeteria stopped what they were doing and looked over at the two.

After a few seconds of silence, Knuckles yelled, "FOOD FIGHT!"

Spurred on by him, most of the prisoners did just that. Mainly, they threw food at the guards, but some of them threw food at anyone. Some prisoners, like Sonic, jumped over the cafeteria counter so they could grab more food to throw at the guards. The cafeteria was a breakfast bedlam, a complete cuisine catastrophe, to be sure.

By the time it was all over, the place was a real mess. There was not one person – guard or prisoner – who didn't have some sort of food on them. Even the few prisoners who ducked under the tables to avoid getting hit by food weren't immune. For a few moments, everyone stood still. Then, Tails motioned to Shadow, who went off to a nearby broom closet and returned with a bucket, a mop, a spray bottle of cleaner and some paper towels.

"All right, one of you bitches is going to clean up this mess, or you're all going to be punished!" said Shadow.

Sonic rushed over and grabbed the supplies. "No problemo!" Thanks to his super speed, Sonic had the cafeteria/cell block area cleaned up in under a minute.

"Ta-da!" exclaimed Sonic. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

"Hold it, 6-9-1!" said Tails. "Nobody is going anywhere until we wash our uniforms! Everyone, follow me to the laundry room!"

Among other things, Station Square University did indeed have a number of laundry rooms. The guards escorted the prisoners down to whichever one was closest to the cell block area.

"Hey, Rastrel!" said Sonic.

"Da?"

Sonic whispered: "If it's cool, I'll cover ya, man!"

"Very well." _(What does he mean?)_

* * *

Down in the laundry room, both guards and prisoners took turns with the washing machines and dryers. They also had to polish their own footwear. While Sonic was waiting for his uniform, he stood near Rastrel and kept a lookout for approaching guards. When he saw Silver coming, he wasted no time in striking up a conversation with him.

"Hey hey, what it is, Silver?" asked Sonic.

"First of all, you're not supposed to talk to me unless I talk to you first," said Silver, "and second of all, that's MISTER Correctional Officer to you! Is that clear, 6-9-1?"

"Whoa, sorry man! I just had a question for ya…"

Silver pointed at Sonic. "Just don't waste my time!"

"Have ya ever watched any prison movies before?"

"I don't have time for this! Now step aside, 6-9-1."

"I mean, I've seen a few prison movies myself…"

"Get out of my way, 6-9-1! I have a job to do!"

"I remember seein' this one where these guys were tryin' to escape from an underwater prison…"

Silver clenched his fists. "I'm warning you, if you don't get the hell out of my way, I'll punish you!"

"So then I said to myself, do they even have…WHOA!" Sonic found himself helpless as Silver levitated him out of the way and continued his patrol. Up here, Sonic discovered that his distraction was superfluous, as Rastrel had somehow acquired a really big towel with which to hide his gang tattoos. Eventually, Silver let the Blue Blur down so he could get his uniform back.

* * *

On the way back to the cell block area, Tails put his hand on Sonic's shoulder.

"6-9-1, can I speak to you for a moment?" he asked.

"Yeah?" replied Sonic.

"I know you're unhappy being here, but you still have to follow the rules, otherwise we won't get paid."

"I know that, man; it's just that I really hated that one kind of slop they were servin'!"

"Listen, if you clean your plate, you won't get punished. You might even get a reward. It depends on how well you behave."

"Gotcha. Hey, can I go now?"

"Very well." Tails pointed at Sonic. "Don't let me catch you breaking the rules again, OK?"

"No problemo, man!"

Sonic and Tails went their separate ways. Ol' Blue had his fingers crossed when Tails wasn't looking.

* * *

Rec went pretty smoothly. Sonic ran around the yard and made fun of some of the guards, calling them names. Lunch also went quite well. Between lunch and supper, Dr. Tobor was taking some students and visitors on a tour of the prison. Among those in the group were Amy Rose, Cream the Rabbit and her mother, Vanilla.

"…and this is the cell block area," said Dr. Tobor. "As you can see, the prisoners are well-secured within their cells. Ah, but don't worry about them; they are receiving fresh food, fresh air, and the basic amenities that you and I are entitled to!"

During the tour, Amy saw Sonic in his cell, so she waved to him and blew him a kiss. Ordinarily, the Blue Blur wasn't so fond of her advances, but this time, he returned the gesture before the tour group moved on.

After supper, Knuckles was testing out his cell to see if he could escape. Unfortunately for him, the bars were made of unobtainium, so he couldn't bend them. Furthermore, somebody had the incredulous foresight to build the walls with unobtainium rebar. If that weren't enough, the magic idiot ball prevented Rad Red from digging through the floor, jumping through the ceiling or questioning why any writer would create such stupid plot devices. In the meantime, Sonic had another discussion with Rastrel.

"I admire your courage, _kotyoshen_," said Rastrel. "I did not expect you to defy our captors as you had done at breakfast."

"Hey, I was just foolin' around, Rastrel!" said Sonic. "Oh…by the way, do ya mind if I call ya 'Ras' for short?"

"Do as you wish."

"Gotcha. So anyways, that guard wanted me to eat my eggs, and I just decided I wasn't gonna take their jive. So then I figured, 'hey, someone's gotta stir things up around here', and that's why I started the food fight."

"Hm."

For a few moments, the two of them sat there, not saying a word.

"Hey Ras…" said Sonic.

"Da?"

"Why'd ya sign up for this experiment, anyways? To me, ya don't look like the kind of guy who'd stand for this jive."

"You are correct. I do not believe in standing for such abuse. In fact, the policemen who tried to arrest me were unsuccessful, so they had to call S.W.A.T. team to catch me. However, this story is for another time, da? Now, let us go back to the matter at hand: I like money. I like lots of money. I like lots of money very much. Unfortunately, there are people who do not like me for this. In fact, there is an old proverb: 'The bear who only cares about honey does not see the trap.' So, I find that I have to sometimes get money with other methods."

"Yeah, I get what you're sayin'. I also came here because of the money, but that ain't the number-one reason why I signed up for this. See, I was gettin' bored at home, so I figured that this would give my life a little more kick, ya dig?"

"Well, if you are looking for kick, then you have found it."

* * *

Back at the guards' barracks, Tails had brought Shadow and all the second-shift guards together for a meeting. The second shift consisted of Vector the Crocodile, Rotor Walrus, Ray, and Scourge the Hedgehog.

"Gentlemen, all of you have been doing a good job so far," said Tails. "I hope you keep up the good work! However, we have a problem: So far, the prisoners have been showing signs of rebelliousness, and since the rules won't let us use physical violence, I'm afraid their behavior will keep getting worse. So, I think we should visit the warden. Are there any objections?"

None of the guards raised any.

"OK, then let's go!" Tails led the guards down to Dr. Tobor's office.

_(Hmph, I never thought I'd say this, but I think Sonic's right,)_ thought Shadow. _(Now that I think of it, that warden seems all too familiar…)_

* * *

Dr. Tobor's office was actually pretty nice for a prison warden's office, not that prison wardens had inhumanly filthy offices in the first place. Dr. Tobor's office had an imported mahogany desk, some comfortable leather chairs, imported carpeting, Victorian-era drapery and a bunch of degrees and merits hanging on the walls. At the moment, the good doctor was reviewing some data when Tails & the guards came in.

"Excuse me, Mr. Warden, sir…" said Tails.

Dr. Tobor stopped what he was doing and stood up. "Yes, what can I help you bright young minds with today?"

"We have a problem…"

Dr. Tobor leaned a bit closer. "Yes, what?"

"It's about the prisoners. Generally, they've been well-behaved, but ever since yesterday, their behavior has been getting worse. I know you said we couldn't use physical violence, but how are we supposed to keep them in line? I feel like we've run out of options!"

"It's all right; I understand your concern, Captain!" Dr. Tobor then walked out in front of his desk. "In fact, I believe there was something that I neglected to tell all of you: Although you cannot use physical violence, you can create boredom, you can create a sense of frustration, you can create a sense of fear in them to some degree, and you can create a notion of arbitrariness, that their lives are totally controlled by us…by the system! Oh, and I neglected to mention the temporary CCTV network that I've installed! With your assistance, the prisoners will be under constant surveillance; nothing they do will go unobserved! Do all of you understand?"

All the guards said "Sir, yes sir!"

"Excellent! I'll be counting on you young fellows! Don't disappoint me! Dis-MISSED!"

Dr. Tobor returned to his desk, while Tails led his fellow guards back to the barracks. On the way back to the barracks, Tails had an evil smirk on his face.

_(Yes…all those prison movies I watched are finally going to pay off! I'll have to give this memo to the guards on the first shift!)_

In contrast, Shadow was not so enthused:

_(If that little bastard is thinking about what I think he is…we're going to see some serious shit.)_

* * *

Meanwhile, at around 1 AM, while the prisoners were sleeping, Tails and the rest of the guards made their move.

"All right, everybody up; it's time for count!" shouted Tails.

As if that wasn't enough, the other guards sprayed the prisoners with carbon dioxide fire extinguishers, whistling and shouting phrases like: "WHOO! YEAH!", "It's wake up time, kiddies!" or "Feel the cold, suckers!" Most of the prisoners bolted out of bed when the freezing cold of the carbon dioxide got to them, but a few prisoners stayed in bed, apparently unaffected by the cold. Those few prisoners were forcibly dragged out of bed and out of their cells.

As for Sonic, he got special treatment: Tails dragged him out of bed and handcuffed him to the bars inside of his cell.

"What the hell!?" exclaimed Sonic.

Tails glared at Sonic. "You'll have to learn the hard way."

After Tails left, Ol' Blue attempted to try to break free of his restraint with a Spin Dash. However, he nearly dislocated his arm by doing that, so he just sat there and was forced to listen as the guards abused his fellow prisoners.

Not all of the prisoners would stand for this, however. Some of them, having been woken up by the guards' shouting, blocked the doors to their cells using their mattresses. However, this only caused the guards to lay even more pressure on them…

"All right, get the hoses ready!" ordered Tails. While some of the guards attempted to force their way into the cells, some of them grabbed a couple of fire hoses that were hanging from the wall and sprayed the mattresses with them.

"Hey, what the hell is going on!?" cried Bean. "What the fuck are you doing, man!? YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO US! IT'S A FUCKIN' SIMULATION! IT'S A FUCKIN' SIMULATED EXPERIMENT! DON'T DRIVE DRUNK WITH PROFESSOR ZIMBARDO!" Because of his noncompliance, Bean was sprayed even more than the other prisoners. Even when he was forcibly dragged from his cell, he continued his tirade.

Meanwhile, Sonic just sat there, disheartened by the course that this experiment was taking.

_(Where did I go wrong?)_

* * *

**Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.**


	6. Day 3

The next morning, there was another count. The prisoners were somewhat tired, but they had plenty of strength to get up. For the most part, the count went well, except for one problem…

"Where the hell is prisoner 7-9-6?" asked Shadow.

No response.

"Prisoner 7-9-6, get up!" shouted Shadow.

"Fuck you, you dumb shit!" retorted Bean.

"Don't make me come over there, 7-9-6!"

"EAT MY SHIT, YOU ASSHOLE! You suck and so does this experiment! You can't make me do anything! You're just a slave to the system, man! DON'T LISTEN TO THEM, GUYS! THE SYSTEM IS GONNA EAT YOU!"

Finally, Shadow got fed up with Bean and entered his cell.

"HEY, GET OUTTA HERE, BUTT-LICKER!" shouted Bean.

Shadow pulled his mattress out from under him.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING!? HEY, LET GO OF ME, MAN!" Shadow dragged Bean away, kicking and screaming. "FUCK THE SYSTEM! GIMME MY SHINIES BACK! IT'S A FUCKIN' EXPERIMENT, MAN! THEY DON'T TAKE YOUR SHINIES IN PRISON! LET ME GO, YOU FUCKER! DON'T LISTEN TO THE SYSTEM! THE SYSTEM EATS EVERYBODY, MAN! I WANT MY FUCKIN' SHINIES BACK!"

Shadow ended up locking Bean in solitary confinement, which was actually an empty broom closet in one of the hallways. When he returned, Tails ordered the prisoners to line up for lunch.

"Not you, 4-2-1, 9-3-6 and 4-2-0!" said Tails. "You three go sit down at one of those tables." Espio, Mighty and the recolored fox did as they were told. When the other prisoners sat down with their food, they eyed the three with curiosity. Were they being punished somehow? Sonic couldn't recall any of them doing anything specific that was against the rules. As far as he knew, the only punishments they received were the same punishments that the whole group got. Finally, Sonic's curiosity was dispelled as Shadow, Jet and Silver each brought out a silver (no pun intended) platter, while Antoine set down some crystal goblets and a silver pitcher.

"All right, listen up!" said Tails. All the prisoners sat up and paid attention to the Two-Tailed Wonder.

"Now, it has come to my attention that some of you prisoners have actually been well-behaved since your first day," continued Tails. "So, for those of you who didn't interfere with the guards during yesterday's breakfast or last night's count, we've got a special treat for you."

The guards removed the lids from each platter, revealing the reward: The special prisoners had gotten a heaping helping of special food. To be precise, they got fried chicken, barbecue ribs, French fries and pork fried rice, plus some rich, gooey chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Meanwhile, Antoine poured their special beverage from the pitcher: freshly-squeezed lemonade.

"See, this is what you get for following the rules," said Tails. "Eat up!"

Contrary to Tails' orders, Espio, Mighty and the recolor didn't eat; they just sat there. At first, Sonic was confused as to why they would do this, but in three seconds, he figured it out: These guys were on a hunger strike, showing solidarity with their fellow prisoners. Though Sonic continued to eat his breakfast in solemn silence, he smiled, knowing that his fellow prisoners weren't selling out to the guards.

"This is a special privilege," said Tails. "Don't let it go to waste!"

The privileged trio refused to break.

"Come on, eat!" ordered Tails.

Still, they defied their captors.

"Prisoners, eat!"

They ignored him.

"Eat the food, damn it!" Tails grabbed a fistful of fried rice and threw it at Espio. He grabbed some more and threw it at Mighty and the recolor. Still, none of them would eat.

"Oh, so you wanna do this the hard way, huh? Well, OK then!" Tails grabbed a piece of fried chicken and attempted to shove it into Espio's mouth. The Purple Phantom didn't budge.

"Yeah, you like that, don't you!?" said Tails. "I know you're enjoying this! Come on, you and I both know that you want this! Open your mouth already!"

No matter how hard he tried, Tails couldn't manage to get Espio to eat his fried chicken. Shadow put his hand on the young fox's shoulder, causing him to turn around.

"Captain, I politely advise you to stop trying," said Shadow.

"Well, they have to eat, damn it!" yelled Tails.

"True, but I'm afraid you have no idea what their true intentions are."

"_What_ true intentions!?"

"They refuse to elevate themselves above their fellow prisoners. If they choose to starve, then let them starve. I'm sure there's nothing about that in the rules, is there?"

Tails stared at Shadow for a few moments. Then, he sighed. "All right, Lieutenant." He put down the chicken. "If these bastards don't want to enjoy their reward, we'll just make them sit there until they do!"

While the guards weren't looking, Storm attempted to grab Espio's BBQ ribs.

"HEY, DON'T GET YOUR PUNK-ASS HANDS ON THOSE!" Tails grabbed Storm's arm and threatened him with his baton. The Bird Bruiser complied and continued eating his assigned victuals.

_(Geez, where'd Tails learn that kind of language?)_ thought Sonic. Of course, Tails' warning provided Sonic with the perfect opportunity to make a move…

* * *

After breakfast, despite their prior conduct, the prisoners were given a special opportunity: visitations. The prisoners would get to see their visitors from inside a receptionist's booth that was being borrowed for this purpose. Guards would be posted on both sides of the glass. Sonic was up first, and visiting him today was none other than Amy Rose.

"Hey Sonic, how's it going, cutie?" asked Amy.

"Oh, _groooooovy_!" replied Sonic.

"Are you enjoying the experiment so far?"

Sonic's eyes widened. "Oh _yeah_! It's just _waaaaaaaaaay_ past cool! I'm _sooooooo_ glad that I signed up for this gig! I can't think of anything _else_ I'd rather do with my time! Yeah, who needs runnin'? I wish _I_ could do stuff like this more often!"

Then, Sonic dropped his faux enthusiasm, moved his lips without saying anything, waved his hands from side to side and shook his head, letting Amy know how he really felt. Even without lip-reading skills, most people could tell that something was off.

Amy raised one of her eyebrows. "Sonic…what's going on here?"

"Uh…nothin', Ames!" replied Sonic. "Nothin' at all!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! I was just…practicin' my mime skills! I mean, prison can be educational sometimes! Heh heh…yeah…that's the ticket…" Sonic rubbed the back of his head.

"Sonic, you're weird!"

"Of course I'm weird! We're all kinda weird in our own ways, ya know?"

Amy glared at Sonic.

"So uh…nice seein' ya, Ames!" said Sonic. "I love you!"

Amy swooned. "Oh Sonic…you may not be the smartest guy ever, but I love you too! I wish I could marry you because you're so awesome!1!1!"

"Heh heh…of course! Catch ya on the flip side!" _(Maybe I should just stay in prison…)_

The guards escorted Sonic back to his cell with no further incidents.

* * *

After Sonic's visitation concluded, Knuckles went in the booth. Rouge would be his visitor for today.

"Hey, how's my favorite echidna doing today?" Rouge gave Knuckles a flirty wink.

"TERRIBLE!" shouted Knuckles.

"Awww…what's the matter, Knuckie?"

"EVERYTHING'S THE MATTER! I hate this stupid experiment! I don't even know why I signed up in the first place!"

"Oh my…I'm sorry you feel that way! Can you tell me what you don't like about it?"

"FINE! Let me tell ya: The food sucks, the bed sucks, the uniform sucks, the guards make me do shit that I don't wanna do, and I can't even get a good night's sleep!" Knuckles shook his fists. "I HATE THIS PLACE! I'VE BEEN HERE FOR SEVEN YEARS! NOTHING WORKS HERE!"

Despite the sheer force of Knuckles' outbursts, Rouge kept her cool.

"Knuckie, you've only been here for three days," she said.

"WELL IT FEELS LIKE SEVEN YEARS!" shouted Knuckles. Silver grabbed his arm.

"2-9-4, if you don't calm down, we'll have to remove you," said Silver.

Knuckles growled. "Fine!" He took a deep breath, and Silver backed off so the conversation could continue.

"Now then," said Rouge, "I think it's funny you'd complain, considering you're the one who always sits around up there on that island of yours…"

"Well at least I could move around on Angel Island!" exclaimed Knuckles.

"Oh _really_?"

"Hey, there's more to Angel Island than just sitting in front of the Master Emerald all day!"

Rouge paused. Then, she stroked her chin.

"Knuckie…have you ever considered the alternatives?" she asked.

"Alternatives?"

Rouge winked at Knuckles and did a few flirty poses for him. Then, his eyes widened.

"Ohhhh…" Then, surprise gave way to anger. "Rouge, I'm not gonna do that!"

"And why not?" asked Rouge.

"Because if I do that, then they'll end this whole thing and I won't get any money!"

"Is that what this is all about? Well, I should've expected this kind of thing from a guy like you…"

"No, that's not all! It's also about…uh…"

"Come on, be adventurous! Give it a try sometime!"

"Rouge, I'm not gonna do it!"

"Come on, live a little!"

"Shut up!"

Rouge was taken aback very slightly, but she never lost that cheeky little smile of hers.

"Don't be such a baby, Knuckie," she said. "I know you want to!"

"No you don't!" said Knuckles.

"Oh, don't be so stubborn! Deep down inside, I know you're just dying for it!"

Knuckles crossed his arms. "Hah, still calling the kettle black, I see!"

Rouge turned up the flirt dial a bit more. "But I'm only trying to make things better for you!"

"Yeah, like that already _hasn't_ made things better!"

"Knuckie, don't torture yourself!"

"I'm not torturing myself! They're the ones doing the torture!"

"Please, don't give up, baby!"

"I'm not giving up! I'm just…"

In one swift move, Rouge pressed her face and her voluptuous figure against the glass.

"Oh…Knuckie!"

Knuckles turned bright red, and sweat started pouring down his face.

"Oooh…I didn't think you could turn any redder than you were!" said Rouge.

Knuckles didn't really say anything, other than, "Uhhhh…heh heh…bye…"

Rouge removed herself from the glass. "Leaving so soon? Well, buh-bye!"

Despite Knuckles' quarrelsome behavior, the guards didn't take any drastic action and took him back to his cell without incident. In the cell block area, the Knuckster caught sight of Storm, who blew him a kiss.

_(Damn it, I'm sick of this place!)_ thought Knuckles. The guards locked him in his cell, moving on to the next lucky contestant.

_(Hey…WAIT A MINUTE! That's it…)_

* * *

In spite of the fact that he had chosen to defy the guards by going on a hunger strike, Espio was allowed his visitation rights. Shadow had once again transcended his rank and convinced Tails that it was necessary in order to prevent the prisoners from getting any further out of line. Today, Espio got to see Charmy Bee, one of his loyal detective comrades.

"Hiiiiiii, Espio!" exclaimed Charmy.

"Hello, Charmy," said Espio. "It is good to see you again."

"Yeah, it's AWESOME to see you too! Hey, how's prison?"

"Well, I've been in worse places. Still, I enjoy the challenge. How are you doing, then?"

"I'm doing…GREAT!" Charmy did a few backflips in celebration. "Man, the office sure is quiet without you and Vector around! You should've seen it! I was stayin' up late, watchin' scary movies and eating lots of ice cream with honey! I wish I could do that all the time!"

"Well…I'm glad that you are enjoying yourself. However, I want you to know that I miss you very much, Charmy."

"Don't worry! I'm doing fine! Hey, can I go to prison with you?"

"Unfortunately not; the signup period has concluded."

"Awwww…but I want to go to prison with you!" Charmy hung his head.

"No, you do not want to go to prison," said Espio.

"Of course I do!"

"No, you really don't…"

Charmy lifted his head up again. "But it's gonna be awesome! We could have so much fun together! We could stay up late, jump on the beds, and even have a campfire! Please, let me come to prison with you!"

"Please, do not let those notions cloud your mind…" said Espio.

"Wait…I know what we could do! We could get a little tiny hammer and a poster of Rita Grassworth…"

"It's _Hay_worth."

"Or maybe, instead of bein' in the cell…I could be a GUARD! That would be EXTRA awesome!" Charmy pumped his fist up in the air. "Yeah! What we have here is a failure to communicate!"

"I understand your enthusiasm, but you must perish those thoughts. Trust me, prison is not a fun place."

Charmy settled down a bit. "What are you saying?"

"Charmy, this may only be an experiment, but there are still things that you'll never want to see."

"Are you saying you hate me!?"

"No," replied Espio. "I'm…"

"Awww…YOU HATE ME!" Charmy started crying.

"Charmy, please calm down."

The little bee kept crying.

"I implore you, stop crying."

Despite Espio's calm, reassuring demeanor, Charmy still cried.

"Charmy, don't cry! I don't hate you at all! I love you, Charmy!"

Finally, Charmy stopped crying. "Do you really mean it, Espio?"

"Yes," replied Espio.

"Ewwwwww…you're sick!"

"I did not intend for it to sound that way. I meant I loved you as a friend. To prove it to you, I promise I'll buy you all the ice cream you can eat once I get out. Is that good?"

"ICE CREEEEEAMMMMMMMM! YEAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Charmy zipped and zapped and zinged all around the room. Although Espio didn't always appreciate his young friend's immaturity, he couldn't help but smile when he saw how happy he was. Granted, the Purple Phantom didn't always smile at such things, but this was a special occasion for him.

After saying goodbye to his buzzy little buddy, Espio stepped out of the booth so that others could enjoy this special occasion.

* * *

Today was another free day at rec. Knuckles, Storm, Bark and Nack were all playing catch with a medicine ball. Rastrel was doing bench presses, while Sonic was doing pushups. Rastrel briefly paused and looked over at Sonic.

"You surprise me," said Rastrel. "Care to tell me why you engage in a new exercise routine?"

"I've been thinkin' about what ya said," replied Sonic, not stopping, "and I just decided to pump up the ol' guns, just in case things blow up."

"A wise decision. Strength training is good for the soul."

"Heh, ya don't say!" After he'd done over 100 pushups, Sonic stood on his head and started doing inverted pushups. Meanwhile, Rastrel continued with his bench presses. Sonic tired out rather quickly from the inverted pushups, so he did some alternate toe touches. Once he felt warmed up, he grabbed a pair of hexagonal dumbbells from the weight rack, each weighing 20 pounds.

"Ya know," said Sonic, "I don't usually jack iron, but like I said, I gotta be prepared."

"I see," said Rastrel.

With that, Sonic started "jacking iron", as he called it. At first, he was doing quite well, but it had only been a few minutes before his arms started tiring out. Ol' Blue forced himself to keep lifting those weights, trying so desperately to overcome matter with mind. His struggle attracted the attention of Rastrel, who returned the barbell to its holder on the bench and went over to Sonic.

"Come on, do not stop now, _kotyoshen_!" exclaimed Rastrel.

"Hrrrk…why would I stop?" said Sonic.

"You are weak! You are unworthy!"

Sonic grunted. "No I ain't!"

"The pain…it will crush you!"

"Pain!? What…pain?"

"The guards, they are strong! They eat you alive!"

"No…way!"

"Come on, fight the pain!"

"Grr…I DON'T KNOW WHAT PAIN IS!" Truth be told, Sonic's arms felt like they were on fire, but through the flames he carried on.

"Don't stop! FIGHT IT!"

Sonic was still trying his hardest not to drop the dumbbells. "Must…fight!"

"Keep going! You must break yourself!"

Sonic's arms were searing with pain. Nevertheless, he kept exerting himself, not caring if he dropped dead from doing so. Before he burnt out, though, Tails blew the whistle, signaling that rec was over. Sonic nearly dropped his dumbbells, but Rastrel caught them and put them away.

* * *

While Sonic was testing his might, Espio, Mighty and the recolored fox were still testing their mettle. They had not eaten a single scrap of food that the guards had given them, even the stuff that had been thrown or thrust at them. Espio was still hanging tough, but the other two were starting to break down.

"Espio…I can't do this anymore!" exclaimed Mighty. "I'm too hungry!"

"Focus your spirit, Mighty," said Espio. "We cannot allow the guards to control us!"

"I know, but…this food…i-it looks so delicious!"

"I understand your plight. Fortunately, so does Sonic. Here." From underneath the table, Espio handed two pieces of French toast to his comrades-in-hunger.

"W-where did you get those?" asked Mighty.

"Sonic handed those to me while the guards were not looking," replied Espio. "Personally, I admire his rebelliousness, although I hope he is prepared to face the consequences."

Mighty and the recolor said nothing; they just ate their pieces of French toast. Mighty was so hungry that his piece was gone in less than a second. With his hunger temporarily sated, he rejoined his comrades in fasting. As supper came and went, the guards forced the Hungry Three to sit there until they ate everything, which never came to pass.

* * *

In the evening, Sonic was laying down on his bed, not doing anything, while Rastrel was standing beside him.

"How are you feeling, comrade?" asked Rastrel.

"Oh…I'm just disco…" replied Sonic. "Ow! I'm lucky I could even pick up my food…ow!"

"Pain…it is only weakness. It leaves the body."

"Hah…I bet ya learned a lotta stuff like that in the Mob…ow…"

"What was that?" Rastrel leaned closer to Sonic.

"Nothin'…" Sonic took a deep breath. "I just figured…since ya had…ow…all that muscle, you'd probably be runnin' with the Mob or somethin'…"

Rastrel leaned even closer. "_Kotyoshen_, do not try me any further. To this point, you have been proving yourself. What I do is my business, so it would be in your best interests not to have problems in this life, da?"

"I'm sorry, Ras. I didn't mean to tick you off…ow. I promise I won't tell anybody; just don't…ow…kill me."

"Very well. If you do not anger me, I shall let you live. I am very nice guy; I treat you nice, da?"

"Yeah…sure…ow…"

"All right, then." Rastrel was about to climb into the top bunk, but stopped. "Oh, and one more thing…"

"Yeah?" queried Sonic.

"Exercise does not have to be limited just because you are caged," said Rastrel. Then, he climbed up into the top bunk.

After a few minutes, Sonic got out of his bed and started doing some more pushups. The pain shot through his arms like the venom of a million snakes, but he chose to ignore the pain and keep going. However, when he made it to 30 pushups, Tails gave the "lights out" announcement. Nevertheless, the True Blue Hedgehog kept going.

"6-9-1, finish what you're doing and go to bed!" ordered Tails. Sonic stopped doing pushups and went to sleep.

As for the Hungry Three, Espio stayed awake, while Mighty and the recolor fell asleep face-down in their food…

* * *

Around 1 AM, Sonic and his comrades were woken up by the sound of the guards' whistles, and the Blue Blur knew exactly why…

"Yes gentlemen, it's time for count!" said Tails. "Everybody up!"

The prisoners all got out of bed, some with more exertion than others. Of course, the guards were on hand to give "encouragement" to those who didn't exert themselves enough. Sonic didn't need any encouragement to get up, although his arms still felt sore. Once all the prisoners were up and about – excluding Bean, but including the Hungry Three – Tails began the count.

"Let's see…" said Tails, "2-9-4!"

"Here!" said Knuckles.

"4-2-0!"

"Here…" said the recolored fox.

"4-2-1!"

"Present," said Espio.

The count continued in this fashion. When it was finished, everybody staggered back to their cells – or in the case of the Hungry Three, their table.

"What the…!?" exclaimed Sonic.

All of a sudden, Scourge put a burlap sack over the Blue Blur's head, while Vector dragged him out of his cell.

"Hey, what are ya doin'!? HEY, LET ME GO! LET ME GO! COME ON!" No matter how hard he struggled, Sonic just couldn't escape Vector's grasp.

Finally, when Scourge took the sack off of Sonic's head, Sonic could see where he was: He was in a rather dark area of the building, sitting down in a metal folding chair. He wasn't sure if he was in the basement or not, but that didn't matter to him. Vector held Big Blue down and began to tie him up

"Hey…w-what's goin' on!?" demanded Sonic. Vector just kept on tying him up, with some assistance from Ray. "No, don't do this to me, guys! Please, I'm beggin' ya, don't do this to me!"

The guards ignored his entreaties. Instead, when they finished tying him up, they clamped a couple of jumper cables to his head.

"Wha…?" said Sonic. "What are ya doin'!? Get me outta here! GET ME OUT!"

Then, Tails stepped out from the darkness and walked up to Sonic.

"Well…well…well…" said Tails. "It appears you've put yourself in a dangerous corner…ringleader!"

"Tails…what are ya talkin' about?"

"SHUT UP, 6-9-1! Don't play stupid with me! I know all about that crafty little role you're playing." Tails leaned closer to Sonic. "Yes…I know all about your status as ringleader! I've seen how your fellow prisoners look up to you…how they revel in your misdeeds! You just think it's so funny to break the rules, huh? You think you're the big cheese around here, don't you?"

Sonic didn't respond.

"DON'T YOU!?" shouted Tails.

Sonic spat at Tails. "Up your nose, jive turkey!"

"Up my nose?" Tails gestured to himself. "Up MY nose!? Oh, you're just digging yourself deeper and deeper, and we're gonna show you who's really in charge here! Ray, do it!"

"Yes sir!"

Tails stepped away from Sonic, while Ray threw a switch on the wall, which happened to be connected to Sonic's chair.

Sonic let out one of the most distressed, inhuman screams that he'd ever let out in his life, and he continued screaming as electricity coursed through his body. Meanwhile, Tails was smiling with perverse, sadistic satisfaction as he watched his best friend get shocked. Before it could go any further, Shadow turned the electricity off. Fortunately, Sonic was still alive.

"What the hell are you doing, Lieutenant!?" demanded Tails.

"That's enough" said Shadow.

"Turn that thing back on!"

"I said, that's ENOUGH."

Tails waved his arms up and down. "You bastard, I said turn that fucking thing back on!"

"Captain, I enjoy this almost as much as you do, but if you keep this up, this prisoner's going to die, the experiment will be over and none of us will get paid."

"You selfish son of a bitch! I should have you demoted for insubordination!"

Shadow crossed his arms. "Is it so selfish to care about your teammates? This is your money that's on the line too, you know." _(Hmph, I never thought I'd actually care about another team besides Team Dark.)_

Tails paused. Then, he sighed. "OK…have it your way, Lieutenant. However, I want you to do just ONE thing for me…"

"Yes?"

"Turn the power back on for just three more seconds. I'm sure 6-9-1 can handle it."

"Hmph." Shadow turned the electricity back on and let Sonic fry for the three seconds that Tails asked for. Once again, the Blue Blur screamed in pain, but he didn't die.

"All right, take this bastard back to his cell." said Tails.

* * *

Shadow and Vector threw Sonic back in his cell, slammed the door and locked it. Sonic just lay there, barely conscious, groaning and quite crispy. As he lay on the ground, pondering the decisions that led him here, one of his fellow prisoners was making his move: Knuckles pretended to cough, getting Rotor's attention.

"H…hey guard…" said Knuckles. "I'm sick. Please…let me out!"

Rotor just looked at Knuckles briefly before resuming his patrol.

"Please…I'm really ill! O-open the door…man!" Knuckles coughed.

Rotor turned to Knuckles again.

"Gee…I don't know…" said Rotor.

"C-come on…I feel really fucked up inside!" said Knuckles, a bit louder than before. "I gotta go…to a doctor…something…anything!"

"Sorry, I-I don't think I can let you go…"

"JESUS CHRIST, I'm burnin' up inside, don't ya know!?"

Since Rotor still didn't respond, Knuckles slid out of bed and got to his knees.

"LET ME OUT!" Knuckles pounded his fists on the floor. "LET ME OUT! LET ME OOOOUUUUT!" Despite the fact that he'd made a rather sizable crater in the floor, the Knuckster didn't take advantage of it; he just lay down on the floor, sobbing.

"I can't fuckin' take it anymore…" he said.

"O-OK!" said Rotor. "Just hold on a second…I'll have you out of here soon!" He opened the door and went over to Knuckles. This turned out to be a stupid move, because Knuckles punched Rotor in the face, took his keys and locked him in.

"HA HA!" exclaimed Knuckles. "So long, sucker!" Now free, he tried to go for an exit. Unfortunately, he was collared by Shadow on the way.

"Going somewhere, 2-9-4?"

"Hey, let me go, man!" said Knuckles. "I'm sick, I want out!"

"You look well enough to me," said Shadow. "Come along, now." He dragged Knuckles over to solitary confinement. Knuckles was kicking and screaming all the way there. When Shadow got to solitary, he pulled out a green Chaos Emerald.

"CHAOS CONTROL!" With time slowed down, he cuffed Knuckles, threw him in, took Bean out and closed the door.

"Huh…what's going on?" asked Bean.

"Time's up," replied Shadow. "You get to have your regular cell back. Don't blow it this time, OK?"

"Does this mean I get my shinies back?"

Shadow sighed. "Yes…you get your pathetic 'shinies' back."

"OH YEAH! This is awesome!"

"Hmph."

Meanwhile, Knuckles tried to break free of his cuffs, but in spite of his immense strength, he just couldn't do it. Apparently, Dr. Tobor or someone had also figured out how to make unobtainium handcuffs. Of course, this was nothing a little shiny couldn't handle. Ah…but where to get it, then?

* * *

_"Here's a hypothetical scenario:" said Dr. Tobor, "Somebody kills and/or rapes someone you love. By some machination or stroke of fate, the law fails to prosecute them. Thus, that person is free, and there is nothing you can do about it. Would you consider that justice?"_

_"Hell no!" replied Sonic._

_"And why ever not?"_

_"Because if we just let bad dudes go like that, then I don't think we're gonna get very far."_

_"Oh, so you know what it's going to take for society to evolve, then?"_

_"Well, do YOU know, man?"_

* * *

**Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.**


	7. Day 4

Once again, Tails and the other guards woke the prisoners up for count. However, they held count an hour earlier than usual, which messed with the prisoners' sleep cycles.

"Gentlemen, a few hours ago, one of your comrades attempted to escape," said Tails. "Fortunately, he was captured, and he's now in solitary. Now, I am a very reasonable man, and as long as all of you follow the rules, there won't be any trouble."

Nack whispered to Storm: "Yeah, that fella's about as reasonable as a bag of boomerangs!"

"Heh heh, you said it, pal!" said Storm. The two of them laughed. However, Tails walked over to the duo and pointed his nightstick at them.

"Hey, I don't want anybody laughing!" said Tails. "We get anybody laughing around here anymore today, and then the shit is gonna hit the fan! Is that clear?"

Storm and Nack stopped laughing and stood at attention. "Yes sir!"

"Good." The rest of count went normally.

* * *

Breakfast was still on as usual. Today, there was burnt, soggy bacon, potato pancakes, greasy home fries, bruised apples and some limp cereal that was supposed to pass for Corn Flakes. For beverages, there was still coffee, and there was also cranberry juice. Most prisoners received their breakfast as usual, but the Hungry Three got a "special treat": The guards dumped their breakfast on top of the special food they'd been served just yesterday. Espio still didn't eat his breakfast, but the other two in his little circle did, being careful not to eat the special stuff. However, Mighty got tired of trying to eat breakfast.

"Excuse me…Mr. Correctional Officer…" said Mighty. Tails turned to him.

"What?" said Tails.

"I…I don't think I can finish this. I know you said we had to eat everything…but…"

"But WHAT!? What do you want, then?"

"I…I could use a Twix bar…"

"Twix bar? Is that what you want? Huh? You want to eat a Twix bar!? Huh!? HUH!? I got your Twix bar right here, 9-3-6!" Tails drew his nightstick and threatened Mighty with it.

"EEK!" Having gotten the message, Mighty resumed eating.

* * *

After breakfast, Dr. Tobor was conducting another tour of the prison. This tour group included Sally Acorn and Bunnie Rabbot, among others.

"…and here is the cell block…oh my!" Dr. Tobor's jaw dropped when he saw the Hungry Three. "Ladies and gentlemen…it appears that a few of the prisoners are conducting a test of their own! Of course, I can't say I recommend trying this at home! Ho ho…but that aside, all prisoners are receiving fresh food, fresh air, and the basic amenities that you and I are entitled to!"

Dr. Tobor's words seemed to contrast with the general condition of the prisoners: Already, a bunch of them were looking haggard, disillusioned and seemed as if they'd been in prison for at least a couple of years. When Sonic noticed Bunnie and Sally, he waved to them. In this case, his gesture not only served as a friendly greeting, but also as a signal that all was not well.

"Oh my stars!" said Bunnie. "Sally Girl, y'all notice somethin' wrong with Sonic?"

"Yes," replied Sally. "In fact…something about this whole experiment seems wrong. Well…besides the basic premise, I mean. I just can't put my finger on it, though…"

* * *

Back in the guards' barracks, Tails was sitting on his bed, reading _The Comet Empire Awaits_, by M. Thomas Venture. Then, Shadow approached him.

"Captain, do me a favor, will you please?" asked Shadow.

Tails put his book down and sat up. "Yes, Lieutenant?"

"Will you do me a kindness?"

"What do you want, Lieutenant?"

"Kindly explain to me how the shit hasn't already hit the fan."

Tails stood up. "Lieutenant, you just don't get it…do you? Some men, you just can't reach, so you get what we had last night, which is the way he wants it…and he gets it! I don't like it any more than you or any of the other guards, but that's the way it is, understood?"

"Look, I understand that we have to be commensurate with our punishments, but given the way you're treating certain prisoners, I think you're creating problems for all of us."

"I'M creating problems!?" Tails pointed his finger at Shadow. "You're the one who's going along with me, so you're also creating some of these so-called 'problems'!"

"Hmph. Well, at least I damn well know when to stop. Apparently, you're the one who gets off on trying to kill the fucking prisoners."

"Well, look who's talking, Mr. Ultimate Life Form!" said Tails. "Yes…I remember exactly what you said last night: 'Captain, I enjoy this almost as much as you do'! I know you're just dying to unleash those killer instincts of yours, aren't you!?"

"Oh yeah!?" exclaimed Shadow. "At least I'm not obsessed with creating a sense of frustration within the prisoners! Go on, Captain; just keep pushing them! You don't have any idea what kind of shit they're capable of when they're pushed!"

"Which is why we have to control them! If you paid attention to what the warden said, this isn't all about frustration; we have to make them fear us, and one way we can instill fear is by controlling their every action!"

"So maybe there are some prisoners we can't reach! However, I'm pretty damn sure that none of them want to be abused within inches of their lives!"

"And how would you know that!? You're the one who chooses to be alone all the time! Oh…and while we're on this subject, I'm warning you not to press your luck! I know you've been to prison before, so I could have you removed from this experiment…" Tails snapped his fingers "…just like that!"

Shadow grabbed Tails by the collar. "Look, I've tried to be reasonable with you, but if you threaten me like that again, I'll make you regret it! Hell, I don't even care if you are my captain, because even with that uniform, you're still just a pathetic little kid!"

"Lieutenant, if you don't let go of me, I WILL have you kicked out!"

"I tell you what: If you promise not to single out any one prisoner without a good reason, then I'll let you go. Is that good?"

Tails sighed. "OK, you win…Lieutenant."

Shadow let go of Tails.

"Just don't commit any more acts of mutiny against me, OK?" said Tails.

"As you wish," said Shadow. "I'm _sure_ we can come to an understanding."

Tails said nothing else; he walked away and exited the barracks.

"Thank you very much…" said Shadow, "…I appreciate that, _Captain_! Don't slam the fucking door! NO MORE!"

* * *

With another day came another 30 minutes of rec. After a brief warmup, Sonic and Rastrel engaged in more weightlifting. The other four prisoners were playing catch with a baseball. Once again, the rec period went smoothly despite the recent unrest that was going on.

"You progressed so quickly, comrade," said Rastrel. "Care to tell me why?"

"Well, maybe some of us are just _so_ ticked off right now!" This time, Sonic was using a barbell with two 50-pound plates and two 25-pound plates. "Maybe some of us don't know anybody no more!" Sonic completed another rep. "Maybe some of us didn't think this stupid experiment was gonna turn out to be Torture City!"

"Why do you get so angry?"

"Listen here, man! Ya see that cat over there – that fox with the two tails?"

Rastrel sat up and put down his barbell. "Yes. What about him?"

"See, that dude's…well…_was_ my best bud in the whole world! I can't believe he'd actually do stuff like that to anyone!"

"Comrade, you must have forgotten: This is prison. Here, there is no friendship."

"Then why the hell are ya callin' me 'comrade'!?" Sonic lifted the barbell again.

"Although I do not share the same values with you, I find that in adverse places, it is better to help those who prove themselves worthy."

"Yeah, far out…"

"Let me ask you," said Rastrel. "Have you ever thought to escape?"

Sonic paused. "Nah, not really."

"Well, if you are so unhappy, you can just run away from this place, da?

"Gee…I dunno," said Sonic. "It sounds simple enough, but…"

"Then why don't you do it? The guards, they are not allowed to use violence, so you do not have to be afraid of retaliation."

"Hey…you're right, man! Why didn't I think of that before?" Sonic set his barbell aside. "Gotta jolt, Holt!" The Blue Blur blasted towards the fence of freedom. Unfortunately, Shadow seized him before he could escape.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Shadow.

"I…uh…I was just gonna run around the field…heh heh!" replied Sonic.

"If I let you go, will you disappoint me?"

"N-no way, man…sir…Lieutenant!"

"Then don't." Shadow let go of Sonic. As promised, Ol' Blue took a few laps around the track surrounding the field before returning to Shadow.

"See?" said Sonic. "Now if you'll excuse me…" He went back to lifting weights.

In the meantime, the other prisoners continued playing catch.

"Hey fellas, I had a thought about that escape attempt," said Nack.

"Escape attempt?" asked Bean. "Does this mean we're gonna break out of here? But I'm gonna miss the shinies!"

"No, you twit! I mean the one that happened last night!" Nack caught the ball and threw it to Bark.

"I didn't hear nothin' last bite…uh, night!" said Storm, who caught the ball and threw it to Bean. "Well, except what the guards told me."

"Ya didn't? Oh, it was a hell of a go!" Nack caught the ball and threw it to Storm. "Knuckles chucked a sickie and tricked one of the guards into lettin' him free! He didn't get too far by the sound of it, I don't think."

"Damn, I didn't think the red guy was that smart! Too bad he's a big fat slowpoke!"

"Actually, my guess is that Sonic gave him the idea for it. That blue fella's been actin' up something fierce ever since this experiment began!"

Bean caught the ball and threw it to Storm. "Sonic's a regular guy! He gets a lot of shinies and gives them to everybody! I wish I could have as many shinies as him!"

"I tell ya, I'm surprised he didn't try to escape already!" said Storm, oblivious to recent events.

Unbeknownst to the four confederates, Tails was listening in on their conversation from the sideline.

_(So, 6-9-1's plotting an escape attempt,)_ thought Tails. _(I guess I'll have to keep teaching him until he learns the proper respect for authority…)_

* * *

The rest of Day 4 passed normally, except when Tails threatened Storm for making funny faces at him during supper. Fortunately, it didn't blow up into anything huge. Lights out came and went, and the Hungry Three were still going at it. Then, Scourge tapped Mighty on the back.

"Huh…? Wha…?" Mighty tried his hardest to keep his head up, but he was barely comprehensible as it was.

"9-3-6, come with me," said Scourge. "Captain wants to see ya."

"Um…OK…" With some assistance from Scourge, Mighty got up. Scourge led him down to an empty office in one of the hallways.

"What are we doing here?" asked Mighty.

"Listen 9-3-6, I like you…and I want you," said Scourge. "Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. The choice is yours."

A small bead of sweat formed on Mighty's forehead. "W…what are you talking about?"

"Here, I'll show ya what I'm talking about." Wrapping his arms around Mighty, Scourge began to kiss him passionately. However, Mighty pushed him away.

"No!"

"No? You can't say that to me!" Scourge continued kissing Mighty, but Mighty pushed him back again.

"Look…I d-don't feel comfortable with this!"

"Oh, so ya wanna do this the hard way, 9-3-6?"

"No, I just want to go back to my table!"

"I'm afraid I can't let ya do that."

"What?" queried Mighty. "W-why?"

"I said I want you," replied Scourge. "There's no escape! Now, are ya willin' to give me whatever I want?"

Mighty was sweating even more. "Y-y-yes…n-no…sure…I g-guess?"

"Get down on your knees."

Mighty gasped. "What!?"

"I said, get down on your knees!"

"No…I won't do that! I…I just want to get back to my table!"

"Fine, here!" Scourge shoved Mighty to his knees.

"W-what are y-y-you g-going to do n-now?"

"I wanna feel it down your throat!" said Scourge.

Mighty clasped his hands together. "No…please! Anything but that!"

"Come on, you'll love it! Now take it!" Scourge prepared to undo his pants, while Mighty winced at the prospect of what was going to happen next.

"Excuse me, but what the hell is going on here?"

Scourge stopped and turned around to see Shadow standing in the doorway. Meanwhile, Mighty got back to his feet.

"I was just…teachin' this prisoner the importance of following the rules!" said Scourge. "Yeah…that's the ticket…"

"Hmph" said Shadow. "Take him back to where he came from and get back to your post. I will not have you or any other guards trying stupid shit on my watch, understood?"

Scourge saluted. "Sir, yes sir!"

As Mighty was being led back to his cell, he said to Shadow: "Oh, thank you, Mr. Correctional Officer!"

"Shut up. You can thank me by following the fucking rules."

* * *

The early morning count came and went. This time, Sonic was allowed to sink back into his bed. However, that didn't stop the guards from dragging him out 15 minutes later.

"WHAT!?" exclaimed Sonic. "Oh, hell no! Don't do this to me again! PLEASE, LET ME GO! HELP! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" As usual, the guards paid no attention his pleas. This time, they dragged him to one of the bathrooms, where Tails was waiting for him.

"Wha…?" said Sonic. "What's this? What's happenin' here!?"

"So, we meet again, ringleader," said Tails.

"Damn it, get me outta here!" Sonic tried to struggle, but Vector and Rotor held him down tightly on his knees.

Tails took a couple of steps forward. "Now then, 6-9-1, I am a reasonable man. I'm not just some seven and-a-half foot long, fifty-four inch wide gorilla. In fact, you and I are no different from one another."

"Oh YEAH!? So what makes ya think we're in the same groove, then?"

"You see, both you and I were arbitrarily assigned the positions we're in now. Fact is, I'm not really sure I wanted to be a guard in the first place. Fact is, I might have been better off as a prisoner. Yeah…then I could've shown you how it feels to have your best-laid plans get fucked up!"

"Hey watch your mouth, Tails! That's not like you!"

"'Watch your mouth Tails! That's not like you!' 'Watch your mouth Tails! That's not like you!'" Tails laughed and pointed at Sonic. "We-he-he-hellllllllllllll…check out the big brain on 6-9-1! 'Watch your mouth Tails! That's not like you!' Because obviously, Mr. Prisoner over here thinks he really knows me!"

None of the other guards shared in Tails' sarcasm. Tails straightened out, cleared his throat and took a couple more steps towards Sonic.

"Oh, I've got another fact for you, 6-9-1: Do you know why the prisoners still look up to you like some sort of King? Well, that's because you are King. I dub thee…King Nothing! Because that's what you are to us: Nothing. See, we're just going to keep teaching you until you have the proper respect for authority!"

"Look…Tails…" said Sonic. "I understand you're real ticked off right now…"

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME!" shouted Tails. "NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ME!"

_(Damn, I can't believe that people think I'm emo,)_ thought Shadow.

"T-Tails…it's OK to be mad," said Sonic. "Really…I had no idea ya felt this way about me! If it's really eatin' ya that much, please…go get help!"

"Get help? Get help!? GET HELP!? Well, maybe you should get help because obviously, you don't understand the meaning of respect!"

"No, I dig what you're sayin'. I'm just sayin' that you should probably get help, dude!"

"And I'm saying that you better learn how to speak! I'm not 'man', I'm not 'dude'! I am MR. CORRECTIONAL OFFICER!"

"Yeah, you tell him, sir!" said Vector.

"Fine," said Sonic. "I think you should probably get help, _Mr._ Correctional Officer."

Tails took a few more steps until he was close to Sonic. "Don't instigate any more shit!"

"I ain't instigatin' nothin'! Ya probably should get help! It's for your own good!"

"For MY own good!? Well, maybe you should follow the rules for your own good, because the sooner you learn to respect me, the longer you're gonna survive in this place!"

"Whoa…I guess ya really do need help!"

"You know what I need? I need you to clean that toilet over there." Tails gestured to the only open stall in the bathroom.

"Thanks, but no thanks," said Sonic. "I think I want out…"

"Toilet!" said Tails. "It doesn't clean itself, 6-9-1!"

"Hey, I feel sorry for that toilet and all, but I'll clean it on my own time, OK?"

"Toilet! I need you to clean my TOILET!"

"OK! OK! I belong to you! Ya made it known to me! Just don't make me do this, OK?"

"Toilet! I need you to clean my…TOI-LET!" Tails put a sing-song emphasis on that last "toilet".

"Hey, if you're such a big guy, then why don't ya clean it yourself?"

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't hear you over the sound of you not cleaning my…TOI-LET!" This time, Tails giggled a little when he said "toilet".

"Ah, sit on it! I ain't…"

"We interrupt this program to bring you a special news announcement: In today's news, I need you to clean my…TOI-LET!" Tails laughed some more, and his left eye twitched a little.

"Fuck you!" said Sonic.

"Fuck me?" Tails gestured to himself. "Fuck ME!? Where's your crown? You're a prisoner, 6-9-1! You're in no position to defy me! Vector, go teach him a lesson!"

"Got it, sir!"

Vector dragged Sonic over to the toilet, where he dunked his head in and kept it submerged. The Blue Blur's reaction was almost instantaneous: He flailed his arms about desperately. If this weren't enough, having his face submerged brought about some terrible flashbacks for him – flashbacks of being unable to swim, trapped in deep, labyrinthine corridors, hoping for one of those vaunted air bubbles. Fortunately, Vector brought Sonic up after 20 seconds, upon which he gasped for air.

"Say it for me:" said Tails. "'I am a prisoner'! SAY IT!"

"Bite me!" said Sonic. Vector immersed him again, and this time, the flashbacks became more intense. Sonic really wanted to scream, but doing so would've wasted valuable oxygen, so he just gritted his teeth. Again, Vector took him out before he drowned.

"Stop!" cried Sonic. "Please…STOP IT!"

"Then say it!" said Tails. "Just say 'I am a prisoner', and we can stop this."

"G-go screw yourself!"

Sonic's response only caused him to be submerged again, which further intensified the flashbacks. By now, Tails was laughing maniacally, and his eye was twitching something fierce.

"YES! YEEEEESSSSSSSSS!" Tails clenched his fists, the power of corruption surging through his veins. Shadow looked on the whole scene with cold disappointment.

"Enough!" said Shadow.

Vector stopped trying to drown Sonic. "Heh, what's up with this?"

"Don't listen to him!" exclaimed Tails. "He's trying to subvert us!"

"Vector, if you kill the prisoner, then they'll end the experiment and we'll lose all our money," said Shadow.

"All right, all right," Vector started to drag Sonic back.

"Vector, don't be a fucking jerk!" said Tails. "I'm your Captain, and I order you to continue!"

Vector paused, and then dragged Sonic back to the stall.

"I'm warning you, this is serious," said Shadow. "I know you're having trouble paying your rent. If that prisoner dies, your rent money goes down the toilet with him."

"B-but he's the Captain!" said Vector. "I ain't supposed to disobey him!"

Tails sighed. "Very well, then. Vector, give him a few more seconds, and then we'll finish."

"Yes sir!" Vector did as he was told.

* * *

After the guards tossed him back in his cell, Sonic curled up in the fetal position. He was now a babbling, weeping mess. The events of the past few days were incomprehensible to him: His best friend – once a sweet, helpful little fox – had now become a cruel, authoritarian monster who seemed to take his role way too seriously. Sure, Ol' Blue had been messing around, but he didn't really mean any harm to anyone – not intentionally, at least. At this juncture, Sonic wasn't sure he could survive this experiment for another day, never mind another week.

* * *

**Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.**


	8. Day 5

The morning count seemed to be going on as usual, although most of the prisoners seemed half-dead from having their sleep schedules messed with. Nevertheless, they could notice the change in Tails' demeanor.

"Gentlemen…" Tails had a rather bad case of 'Twitchy Eye Syndrome'. "I, am, anequitableman! I have tried, my best, to be, fair, withyoupeople! Unfortunately, some of us, still, have a problem, following, therules! You see, the rules, exist, so that we can live, long, andprosperouslives! Without rules, there will be, anarchy! Everything, that we have worked so, hard, to obtain, willgodownthe…TOI-LET!" Tails started laughing again when he said "toilet".

Sonic clenched his fists.

_(I guess Ras was right. That turkey ain't my friend!)_

After all, since when did the Two-Tailed Wonder suffer from 'William Shatner Syndrome'? Since when did he torture his best friend not only for violations that he committed, but also for those committed by other prisoners? Sonic had just about enough of this, so he took off his shirt and threw it on the ground.

"What the hell…?" said Tails. "6-9-1, put that shirt back on RIGHT NOW!"

Sonic gave Tails le bras d'honneur. "Make me, dude!"

"Stop calling me 'dude'! A dude is somebody who works on a ranch!"

Then, everyone else – even Rastrel and the Hungry Three – took their shirts off as well.

"Hey, put those back on!" shouted Tails. "I said, put those back on! Hey, don't you dare step out of line, prisoner! GET BACK! I order you to get back! Don't make me…guards, STOP THEM!"

The prisoners started making funny faces and random gestures towards the guards, prompting them to bring out the fire extinguishers again. Meanwhile, as the guards were trying to restore order, Sonic was running around the cell block area, although he paused after a few seconds.

"Hey, try and catch me, suckas!" Sonic blew a raspberry before running a couple more laps.

"What's the matter?" said Sonic. "Don't ya have enough guys to go after me?" He kept goofing around while the other guards were attempting to restrain his friends. Then, he stood on top of an empty table and did his famous finger wag.

"No no no, you can't touch this!" Sonic continued his acceleratory antics.

However, Shadow finally stepped in his way, causing Sonic to get knocked down when he collided with him. Then, in a surprising move, Shadow drew his nightstick and hit the blue hedgehog over the head with it. He struck Sonic a second time, but he stopped short of another blow. Instead, the Ultimate Life Form simply held the nightstick back, hoping to dissuade Ol' Blue from any further mischief.

Shadow needn't have done so, because Sonic was lying on the ground, holding his hands out in front of his face, trembling and whimpering. Meanwhile, everyone else stopped what they were doing and looked on without saying a word.

"P-p-p-p-p-p-p-please…d-d-d-d-don't hurt…m-m-m-me!" Sonic inched himself away from Shadow. Then, he blinked his eyes in abject horror. Somehow, the black-and-red hedgehog had taken on a different form. Sonic didn't know how, but it had happened: To him, Shadow appeared to have taken on the obsidian appearance of Mephiles the Dark.

"No," whispered Sonic, inching away a little faster now. "No! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sonic scurried away as fast as he could, but Shadow followed him.

"Guards, SEIZE HIM!" ordered Tails. Most of the guards wasted no time in trying to catch the Blue Blur. However, it was Silver who caught him, thanks to his psychokinetic hold. As he was frozen in place, Sonic was still screaming.

"NO, LET ME GO!" No matter how hard he struggled, Sonic just couldn't escape. "HELP, HE'S A PSYCHO! HE'LL KILL US ALL! HE'LL KILL US ALL! PLEASE, HELP ME!"

"Bring him to solitary!" ordered Tails. Shadow and Silver escorted Sonic to "the hole" as he continued screaming his lungs out.

* * *

At "the hole", Shadow readied his Chaos Emerald before Silver relinquished his hold on Sonic.

"CHAOS CONTROL!" Within seconds, Shadow had Sonic restrained and locked up. After the effect wore off, Shadow banged on the door to "the hole" a couple of times.

"Thanks a lot, 6-9-1!" said Shadow.

Silver also banged on the door. "It's no use!"

Sonic – lying on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back – began to weep softly.

* * *

Back in the cellblock area, the prisoners were still standing around, confronted by a red-faced Tails.

"What do you think you're doing!?" shouted Tails. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!? IS THIS WHAT IT'S COME TO!? HUH!? WELL, LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT KIND OF SHIT YOU GET FOR MESSING WITH US!" Tails proceeded to Storm and Nack's cell, where he took the mattresses from their bunks and threw them on the ground, along with the sheets + pillows. In his unbridled rage, he did the same to the other cells before returning to the prisoners.

"You just wanna go ahead and fuck with us!?" said Tails. "So help me god, I will knock all of you into next week, too! We don't spat, NOTHING CHANGES TONIGHT! I WILL HAVE IT DONE MY WAY OR YOUR ASSES WILL BE GROUND MEAT! YOU DON'T CALL THE FUCKING SHOTS AROUND HERE! YOU THINK YOU'RE MEN!? WELL THEN ACT LIKE IT! DON'T TRY SHIT BEHIND MY BACK! DON'T BRING YOUR FRIENDS FROM THE OUTSIDE HERE, BECAUSE I WILL HAVE THEIR ASSES ARRESTED FOR FUCKING WITH THIS EXPERIMENT! YOU DON'T WANNA SUCCEED, YOU BUNCH OF 'ME' PEOPLE, THAT'S ALL IT IS! THAT'S WHAT'S FUCKING WRONG WITH YOU! YOU DON'T GIVE A SHIT! YOU DON'T WANNA BE LIKE THE GUY NEXT TO YOU, YOU JUST WANNA DO YOUR OWN THING…AND YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT! That's what's been our problem in this experiment! It isn't age, it isn't injury, it isn't religion…IT'S INDIVIDUALITY! GO FUCKING PLAY GOLF! All of you, line up right now!"

The prisoners just stood there.

"DO IT, YOU SHITHEADS!"

The prisoners fell in without further questions.

"Now, repeat after me:" said Tails, breathing heavily. "'Prisoner 6-9-1 did a bad thing.'"

"Prisoner 6-9-1 did a bad thing," said the prisoners.

"THAT WAS FUCKING TERRIBLE!" shouted Tails. "Do it again!"

"Prisoner 6-9-1 did a bad thing."

"Better. Now…repeat it 10 times!"

As commanded, the prisoners repeated the phrase "Prisoner 6-9-1 did a bad thing" ten times, without fault.

Their chanting was loud enough that Sonic could hear it from the dark broom closet that he was locked in. Still weeping, he cried even more when he heard the chants. Big Blue had gotten the impression that his fellow prisoners were being turned against him by his (former) best friend, and that really struck him in the heart.

Once the prisoners finished the chants, Tails gestured to their cells. "Look at these fucking cells! See how messy they are? That's what 6-9-1 did! It's because of his foolishness that these cells are a mess! Repeat after me: 'Because of what Prisoner 6-9-1 did, my cell is a mess, Mr. Correctional Officer.'"

"Because of what Prisoner 6-9-1 did, my cell is a mess, Mr. Correctional Officer," said the prisoners.

Tails drew his nightstick. "I swear I'll knock all your fucking teeth out unless you get it right!"

"Because of what Prisoner 6-9-1 did, my cell is a mess, Mr. Correctional Officer."

"Still not good enough!"

"Because of what Prisoner 6-9-1 did, my cell is a mess, Mr. Correctional Officer."

"Very good. Repeat it 10 times!"

Again, the prisoners said "Because of what Prisoner 6-9-1 did, my cell is a mess, Mr. Correctional Officer" ten times.

"Now, DROP AND GIVE ME FIFTY!" said Tails. The prisoners did as ordered. However, just like the first day, there were prisoners who had trouble – lots of it.

"COME ON, MOVE IT, YOU WORTHLESS WEAKLINGS!" yelled Tails. Silver, now back to his post, approached him.

"E-excuse me, Captain…sir…" said Silver.

"WHAT!?" shouted Tails.

"Shouldn't these prisoners eat first? The rules say we have to feed them three times each day."

Tails opened his mouth to yell at Silver, but he paused instead. Then, he gave a frustrated sigh and said, "You're right. Gentlemen, that'll be all! Get up!"

Some of the prisoners didn't get up.

"I SAID GET UP!" Tails stomped on the floor. With this extra motivation, even prisoners who were too tired to get up managed to stumble over to the breakfast counter. Luckily, no one spilled their food on the way to the tables.

"All right," said Tails, "I don't want any more bullshit any time during the rest of this experiment…from anyone! That includes me! I'm sorry to yell at you, but apparently, you don't understand me when I talk to you like people!" With that, Tails grabbed an empty chair and threw it at the wall. "FIGURE THAT SHIT OUT!" Then, he stomped on back to the barracks, clenching his fists ever so tightly.

Following a brief pause, everyone got down to breakfast. A pallor wreathed everybody in the room, though.

"Why did the little orange guy get mad?" asked Big.

"I don't know," replied Silver. "Something tells me he's seen too many movies, but I can't be sure. If he keeps going like this, we'll never make it another week."

_(Fine with me!)_ thought Jet. _(I just want to get the money and leave! Plus, I'm starting to get worried about Storm. Wait…worried about Storm!? Whoa, this place really does change people!)_

Among all the prisoners, Rastrel took a brief moment of silence before taking a bite.

_(Pust' Got pomiluyet Im, kom Ir so mir)*_ thought Rastrel.

* * *

Back in the barracks, Tails was surprised to see Shadow facing the wall, arms crossed.

"What now, Lieutenant?" said Tails.

"There is nothing I can say," said Shadow.

"OK…why, are you acting, likeanemoshithead?"

Shadow sighed. "I dishonored the warden. I blew up and used violence against a prisoner."

Tails put his hand on Shadow's shoulder. "No, that's, a good thing!"

"Captain, how is breaking the rules a good thing?

"Don't you see? The red lights, haven'tcomeon! We have achieved, control over, theprisoners! They, fear us! So, you didn't dishonor, the warden."

"No Captain, you're wrong. Now if you'll excuse me, I must return to my post." Shadow saluted Tails and exited the barracks. Unbeknownst to the Two-Tailed Wonder, the Ultimate Life Form had his fingers crossed as he exited.

In one hallway, Shadow encountered a blonde woman wearing glasses.

"HALT!" Shadow put his palm forward. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm with the university's Psychology Department," replied the woman. "I'm just visiting on business."

"So you say. Papers please."

The woman handed Shadow her documentation. After a few moments of ponderance, the hedgehog handed everything back.

"Very well," said Shadow. "Continue."

"Yes, thanks," said the woman. "Have a good day!"

"Hmph."

* * *

Rather than going to his usual post, Shadow went to Dr. Tobor's office.

"Good morning, _sir_," said Shadow.

Dr. Tobor was doing work, but looked up at Shadow when he heard him. "Ah, good morning, Lieutenant Shadow! What might I do for you?"

Shadow removed his cap and belt and put them on Tobor's desk. "As of now, I forfeit this experiment."

"Oh?" queried Tobor. "What's wrong, Lieutenant?"

"I broke one of the rules. I have no excuse for my actions."

"Oh, it's perfectly alright, sonny boy! We all make mistakes every now and then! Please, do continue."

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Continue, please. Go right ahead!"

Shadow stepped back. "No, I can't do that!"

"The experiment requires that you continue, Lieutenant. Please, continue!"

"Sir, there was _nothing_ in the contract that stated that we were required to continue! Besides, who the hell is going to take responsibility if something extremely bad happens?"

"I'm responsible if anything happens," replied Tobor. "Please continue!"

"WHAT!? The contract said that you couldn't be held responsible for any of our actions!" Shadow stepped up to the desk. "Explain that to me RIGHT NOW!"

Tobor's jaw dropped. "My…I had completely forgotten about that! I sincerely applaud you for noticing the typo in the fine print! In fact, I'm going to have a word with the print staff. Furthermore, I am prepared to pay double…no, _triple_ your normal wage for this experiment just for noticing this mistake! However, it is absolutely essential that you continue!"

"I don't take bribes, _sir_!" said Shadow.

"Oh, no no no no, you've gotten me all wrong! This is merely a reward! However, you have no choice; you must go on if you are to collect it."

"And if any further incidents occur?"

Tobor put his hand over his heart. "Shadow, my boy, I swear to you – on my parents' grave – that I will assume total responsibility if absolute bedlam breaks out during this experiment. Why…I would be willing to be subjected to legal action, even!"

"On your parents' grave?"

"Indeed!"

Shadow remained motionless for a couple of moments. Then, he grabbed his cap and belt. "_Don't_ fail me, sir."

"I would never fail my loyal guards!" said Tobor. After putting his cap and belt back on, Shadow left.

* * *

In the meantime, Tails was tending to the barracks when he heard someone knocking on the door.

"Come in!" said Tails. A blonde woman – the same one that Shadow passed earlier – entered. "Hey, who are you?"

"I'm Professor Palant," said the woman. "I'm with the university's Psychology Department.

"May I please see your papers?"

"Sure!" Palant handed her documentation to Tails. He spent a little less time looking it over than Shadow.

"Here you go," said Tails. "Please, have a seat over here!" Tails and Palant sat down next to each other on an empty bed.

"So…what brings you here?" asked Tails.

"Well tomorrow, I'll begin interviewing the subjects who are taking part in this experiment," replied Palant. "I'm just here to familiarize myself with the whole thing."

"Didn't the warden tell you anything about it?"

"He told me a little, but he thought it would be better if I talked to somebody with first-hand experience."

Tails smiled a little. "Well…OK. What do you want to know?"

"First of all, what's your name?"

"My name is Tails!"

"Tails? That's a cute name! So what do you do here, Tails?"

"I'm the Captain of the guards. I'm responsible for monitoring the other guards and the prisoners."

"But aren't you a little young for that?"

"No, not at all! I'm a very smart person; I can handle it!" Tails gave a thumbs up.

Palant smiled. "Well, you sound very excited!"

"Actually, it's pretty boring around here. Not a lot happens. Still, every day of my life is like a new day of discovery!"

"Oh really? But why would you choose to take part in a prison experiment?"

"I know that prisons are bad places. On the other hand, I've been in some tough situations before, and the one thing that keeps me going is knowing that no matter what happens, I'll be all right! Besides, research can uncover some pretty shocking things sometimes, you know?"

"Yes, I understand. Hey, what's wrong with your eye?"

Tails had that eye twitch going on again. "That? Oh, my eye has been itchy ever since dinner yesterday. I don't know why, though." Tails closed his eye and rubbed it a little.

"So, tell me about some of the things you do."

"Well…I wake all the prisoners up for the morning count. I think that's unnecessary since nobody escapes, but I'm just following orders. I also check in on everybody, but I leave a lot of duties to my Lieutenant, too."

"But what about when something goes wrong? I've heard rumors of prisoners feeling ill."

"Yes, we've had some prisoners who got really stressed out and tired, but I knew that things like this would happen. We haven't had any major problems, though."

"Why do you have nightsticks, then?"

"Actually, we can't use violence against the prisoners. These are only to discourage them. Besides, I would never use violence to solve problems like this, although it's really hard not to."

"So how do you solve problems here?"

"Well, one way we solve problems is by giving special privileges to prisoners who behave themselves, like extra food."

"Interesting. Now, one last question: How do you feel about the other guards and the prisoners?"

"They're all right. Some of the prisoners have been especially wild, but most of them obey the rules. As for the guards, I've had trouble getting along with some of them, but I think they're very good at their jobs!"

"I see. Thank you for your time, Tails!"

"You're welcome! See you later!" Tails waved goodbye as Palant exited the barracks.

_(Heh heh heh!)_ Tails had that devious grin going again. _(I can't believe she fell for that!)_

* * *

Meanwhile, at the Behavioral Sciences Center, Rouge was doing some paperwork when Sally showed up.

"Excuse me," said Sally.

Rouge paused. "Yes, what can I do for you?"

"Well, the staff told me I should come to you or Dr. Tobor if I had any questions or concerns about the experiment."

"So, what's on your mind?" asked Rouge.

"I'm worried about Sonic. When I took that tour yesterday, he seemed so…tired. I don't know what's going on with him, but I'm worried about him!"

"Oh, I see." Rouge made a "come hither" gesture to Sally. She went around the desk to Rouge.

"Listen, can you keep a secret?" whispered Rouge.

"Yes," replied Sally.

"I visited Knuckie two days ago and he was complaining about the experiment. Let me tell ya, I feel sorry for him, too."

"Do you think they're connected?"

"Not sure. I'm actually working undercover here, but I haven't turned up anything else unusual. Dr. Tobor even showed me some of the security tapes to prove it."

"Hmmm…" Sally took out NICOLE, her portable computer. "NICOLE, search for any records on Dr. Tobor of Station Square University."

"Searching…" said NICOLE. "No matches."

"Huh?" Sally raised an eyebrow at this. "NICOLE, search for any records of people in Station Square with the last name 'Tobor'."

"Searching…" A few seconds later: "No matches."

"Hmmm…" Sally scratched her head for a bit. "NICOLE, search for any records of people in the Federal Republic of Columbia with the last name 'Tobor'."

"Searching…" Half a minute later: "Two matches found: Reginald Tobor of Central City, PR and Bryan Tobor of Ocean City, BK."

"NICOLE, show me pictures for both of them!"

"Displaying pictures…" Neither picture looked anything like Dr. Tobor.

"Uh-oh, this isn't good!" said Sally. "Rouge, is there anything you can do about this?"

"Unfortunately not," replied Rouge. "My security clearance doesn't exactly allow me to come and go into that prison as I please."

"But there must be something you can do!"

"I'll do my best, Princess. I promise that Sonic will be fine, OK?"

Sally stroked her chin. "Well…I guess you're right. Sonic has been through a lot in his life, and I don't remember him not being able to bounce back from defeat…"

* * *

For the prisoners, the rest of the day went normally, although that distinct sadness from Sonic's loss remained. The Blue Blur had to be force-fed his lunch and supper. As per Tails' orders, he was only given half his normal rations. Rastrel may not have shown it, but he was so concerned for Sonic's well being that he did another prayer at bedtime. Ironically, he rarely had such concerns in life, even for fellow mobsters.

That aside, Tails was there to wake the prisoners up for the post-midnight count. Everyone staggered out as best as they could. Knuckles came out holding his hands in front of him in a "zombie" pose.

"2-9-4, why are you holding your hands up like that?" asked Tails.

Knuckles yawned. "Oh, I'm just stretching."

"Well, since you have your hands up in the air, we're gonna play 'Frankenstein'!" Tails gestured to Espio, who came over. "4-2-1, you can be the Bride of Funkenstein!"

"You mean 'Frankenstein'?" said Espio.

"I KNOW WHAT I SAID! NOW SHUT UP AND PLAY THE FUCKING GAME!"

Everyone fell silent. Tails cleared his throat.

"Now, just stand over here like this…" said Tails. Knuckles and Espio stood facing each other, a few feet apart.

"Good. Now, 2-9-4, I want you to walk over there like Frankenstein and say that you love 4-2-1!"

"Huh?" said Knuckles.

"DO IT!"

Knuckles started walking over to Espio with his arms still outstretched.

"Fuck no, that ain't no Frankenstein walk!" Tails pushed Knuckles back to his starting point. "Do it again!"

Knuckles tried to do the "Frankenstein walk" as best as he could. Tails raised no further objections. However, when Rad Red got to the Purple Phantom, he got a lump in his throat.

"Well, say it!" ordered Tails. "SAY IT!"

"I…love you, 4-2-1…" said Knuckles.

"Come on, you can do better than that, you fucker!" said Tails. "Show him how you really feel!"

"Uh…O…K…" Knuckles cleared his throat, while Espio stood there calmly. "4-2-1, you are my first…you are my last…you are my everything. Uh…heaven must have sent you from…above…heaven must…er…have sent your precious love…4-2-1." Knuckles was sweating the proverbial bullets, trying to sound convincing under all the duress. "4-2-1…nobody…even…comes…uh…close when it...comes to loving me. You got what I want…you got what…er…I need. Only you…baby. Only you."

"Come on now! Get some lovin'!" Tails pushed Knuckles & Espio together in an attempt to force a hug.

"OW!" Knuckles got poked in the face by Espio's horn.

"Ow!?" exclaimed Tails. "OW!? OW!? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU, 2-9-4!? ARE YOU SOME KIND OF WUSSY OR SOMETHING!?"

"No…" Knuckles rubbed the spot where Espio's horn got him.

"Yeah right, I can tell you're being a wussy! DROP AND GIVE ME A THOUSAND!"

Knuckles stopped rubbing his face as his eyes widened. "What?"

"I SAID DO IT, YOU FUCKING WUSSY!"

Knuckles got started on his pushups.

"Why is it you try to be obedient so much, 4-2-1?" asked Tails.

"It is my nature to be obedient, Mr. Correctional Officer," replied Espio.

"Bullshit!"

"I do not bullshit. Not unless it is part of my mission."

"Oh yeah!? Well…what if I told you to get down on that floor, and fuck the floor? What would you do then?"

"I would not do it."

"You're a liar! You're a fucking dirty liar! Yeah…you like that! I know you like that! I know you want a piece of that floor! Yeah…you're so horny! You love that floor…long…t…t…time…AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Tails broke out into a huge fit of evil laughter. Shadow walked over to him.

"All right, party's over!" Shadow picked up Tails and put him over his shoulder, still laughing. "Everyone go back to your cells!

The other prisoners did as they were commanded, but Knuckles kept doing pushups.

"You too, 2-9-4!" said Shadow. Knuckles got back to his cell, while Shadow carted Tails back to the barracks.

* * *

Back at the barracks, Shadow set Tails down on the floor. Although he'd been laughing all the way there, his laughter subsided a couple of seconds after he was on his feet.

"Lieutenant, what the hell are you doing!?" demanded Tails.

"You've proven to me that you're unfit for command," replied Shadow. "Unless you can get your shit together, I'll have to take drastic action!"

"Oh…I'm _sooooooooo_ scared! What are you going to do, Lieutenant!?"

"Well, since you seem to like laughing so much…HERE!"

"Lieutenant…w-wha…AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"The rules didn't say anything about this, so I get to teach you a very good lesson."

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHP IT, LIEUTENANT!"

Shadow ignored Tails and kept tickling him. Contrary to what his laughter indicated, the young fox was not enjoying this at all. Then again, neither was the Ultimate Life Form. He forced Tails up onto one of the beds in his relentless advance.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!" cried Tails. "YOU BASTARD, YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!"

Shadow stopped tickling Tails. "You look like you're enjoying this…a little too much." He cuffed Tails' hands behind his back.

"LET ME GO, LIEUTENANT!" Tails tried wriggling around, but it became useless when Shadow sat on top of him. "YOU'RE IN BIG TROUBLE!"

"Shut up and take it." Once Shadow had removed Tails' boots and socks, he began tickling his feet.

Tails tried to suppress his laughter. "PFFFFFFFFT…WAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAHP! STAHAHAP! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! INSUBORDINATION! INSUBORDINATION! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Shadow showed no mercy. He tickled Tails' heel, Tails' toes, the sides of Tails' feet…

_(Hmmm…now where did Rouge say the 'sweet spot' was? _ _Ah…here it is…)_

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Tails. "NOOOOOOOO! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Shadow ignored Tails' cries and kept ticking him.

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA! NO MORE! NO MOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRREEEE! AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!"

Shadow kept ignoring Tails' pleas. In fact, he tickled Tails' feet even harder.

"YOU FUCKER! I'LL KILL YOU! GAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA! THE COLORS! AHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Although Shadow would've throttled somebody for saying something like that to him, he disregarded it in favor of more tickling. Eventually, Tails passed out, unable to take any more of it. Once Shadow was finished, he exited the barracks and kept going until he was out of the prison. On the way, he paid a little visit to "the hole"…

* * *

*EN: "May God have mercy on him, as He has with me."

**Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.**


	9. Day 6

Tails didn't wake up until the next morning, and slowly, too. When he awoke, he saw Big standing next to his bed.

"Hey Captain, why are you wearing those bracelets?" asked Big.

"Big, unlock my handcuffs!" ordered Tails.

"Duhhhh…OK!" Big attempted to pry the handcuffs off with his bare hands, but these cuffs were also made of unobtainium.

"Use the keys, you dumbass!"

"That's not very nice."

"I DON'T CARE! JUST GET THE DAMN KEYS!"

"Right…" Big unlocked Tails' handcuffs. Meanwhile, Tails put his socks and boots back on.

"Big, where are the guards from the night shift?" asked Tails.

"I think they went bye-bye," replied Big.

"Well, get them back! I want all the help we can get!"

"Yes sir!" Big saluted Tails before moving on.

* * *

Once again, Tails was suffering from "Twitchy Eye Syndrome" during the morning count.

"Gentlemen, we control!" said Tails. "We, are your, overlords! Fear us! Fear us! FEAR US!" Tails lost it again and doubled up on the ground laughing. At first, none of the prisoners knew what to make of this, but then they decided to queue up for breakfast anyways. Presumably, this was OK with Tails, since Jet and Big began serving breakfast. During this time, a certain "something" hung in the atmosphere…

* * *

Sonic awoke to see a blue LED light in the closet.

"Heh?" said Sonic. "Let's dig it…" He scooched closer to the light, a rather difficult task with handcuffs on.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the cell block area, Tails' laughing fit had subsided. Contrary to what might be expected, he carried on as usual. Then, his ears perked up when he thought he heard someone whisper "6-9-1". However, after a second's pause, he disregarded it. Then, half a minute later, he heard another whisper of "6-9-1". Tails temple scrunched up at the mention of this, but he shook this one off as well. When a third prisoner whispered "6-9-1", it frustrated Tails just a little more. Not long after, all the prisoners started to whisper "6-9-1" audibly. This frustrated Tails so much that he didn't pay attention to anything else…

* * *

Back in "the hole", Sonic got ever closer to that mysterious light. He was hungry, he was tired, but he didn't care. All that mattered was the light. Finally, he was able to reach behind himself and grab it. When Sonic finally got his hands on the light, he discovered that it was a handcuff key with an LED keychain attached to it.

"Decent!" said Sonic.

* * *

Mighty was the missing prisoner. While Tails wasn't paying attention, Silver had escorted him to a familiar office.

"W-why did you take m-m-me here?" asked Mighty.

"Well, 9-3-6, one of my fellow guards says that you're prepared to give us whatever we want…" replied Silver.

Mighty's eyes widened when he realized what Silver was talking about. "Oh no…not this again! Anything but this!"

"Now, I've been feeling lonely ever since this experiment began, and I think you can help me out with this."

"NO! PLEASE! LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Mighty attempted to flee, but Silver immobilized him with his PK power.

"It's no use, 9-3-6! I've got you right where I want you!"

"OH NO! NOOOOOOOOO!"

* * *

Back at the cell block area, things were building up. Some of the prisoners were actually saying "6-9-1" out loud now. Gradually, their chanting became louder and louder, and soon, they were chanting "6-9-1! 6-9-1! 6-9-1! 6-9-1! 6-9-1!" in perfect unison.

"Prisoners, shut up and eat!" ordered Tails.

His orders fell on deaf ears. Now re-energized, the prisoners kept on with their chants of "6-9-1! 6-9-1! 6-9-1!", rhythmically pounding their fists on the tables in time with the chants.

* * *

Sonic could hear the chanting while he was in "the hole", and he was really enjoying it. Not only did it give him extra motivation when attempting to unlock his handcuffs, but it also reaffirmed his belief that the other prisoners were on his side.

"Come on, baby! Come on!" Sonic fumbled around with the handcuff key, trying to unshackle himself.

* * *

Tails – unlike Sonic – was not very happy to be confronted with a horde of prisoners showing support for a fallen friend.

"All right, everyone shut up and clean your plates!" ordered Tails.

The prisoners kept chanting "6-9-1! 6-9-1! 6-9-1!"

"I said, SHUT UP!"

"6-9-1! 6-9-1! 6-9-1!"

"This is my prison! I make the rules here, and the rules say 'SHUT UP'!"

"6-9-1! 6-9-1! 6-9-1!"

"Your friend had brains in his head; he knew when to shut his mouth! YOU JUST KEEP FLAPPIN'!" Tails made a talking gesture with his hand.

Still, the prisoners didn't back off with the "6-9-1! 6-9-1! 6-9-1!"

"I SAID SHUT UP! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT…THE…FUCK…UP!"

Tails whacked Bark's hand with his nightstick. The whole room fell silent. Bark definitely felt the pain, but he didn't react to it. Instead, he slowly rose from his chair and approached Tails. The Two-Tailed Madman knew he was in a heap of trouble, but he kept his nightstick up as he slowly backed away. Around this time, some of the other prisoners had gotten up from their seats in an attempt to box Tails in. Then, as he was backing away, he bumped into Storm, and quickly turned away to face him.

Storm punched his palms. "You just made a bad move, you son of a bitch!"

Tails froze as the prisoners closed on him. Still, like Tom Petty, he didn't back down.

"GUARDS…GET THEM!" shouted Tails.

Antoine, Jet and Big sprung into action, and the showdown erupted. Tails managed to fly away before the prisoners could grab him. Once he got behind them, he did a sneak attack with his nightstick, thumping whichever prisoner was closest. Some prisoners chose to flip over tables and chairs rather than attacking the guards directly. With his special food spilled all over the floor, Espio grabbed a platter and threw it like a shuriken, striking Jet in the process.

_(Come on, where the hell is the second shift?)_ thought Tails, just before being slugged by Knuckles.

* * *

Silver was largely oblivious to the rumble going down in the cell block area. Instead, he was dealing some damage of his own by slamming Mighty against the wall with his PK powers.

"NO!" cried Mighty. "STOP IT!"

"Stop that?" queried Silver. "How about THIS!?" He threw Mighty at the wall again and picked him back up.

"9-3-6, the pain will only get worse!" Silver slowly walked towards Mighty. "Give up; I want you to pleasure me!"

"NO, WAIT!" If Sonic's struggle against Silver yielded no results, then Mighty had no hope, either.

* * *

Speaking of Sonic, he was still straining to unlock his handcuffs. The darkness of "the hole" made things even more challenging. Fortunately, he managed to get lock and key together, freeing himself and rising again.

"Dy-no-mite!" said Sonic. "Gotta break, Jake!" With a single Spin Dash, he busted down the door. Now free, he laid down a mad path to the cell block area. However, he hit the brakes when he came upon the office where Silver and Mighty were.

"Hey Silver!"

Silver turned around. "Huh…?"

"Take THIS!" With another Spin Dash, Sonic slammed into Silver, putting out his lights. Mighty was freed from his hold.

"Yo Mighty, you all right?" asked Sonic.

Mighty gulped. "Yes…I think so."

"Righteous, man! Come on, let's dash and smash!" With that, Sonic and Mighty headed down to the cell block area/mess hall.

After making a quick recovery from being knocked out, Silver let out an angry scream before following Sonic and Mighty.

* * *

By the time Sonic and Mighty got to the cell block, there was a full-blown riot going on between the guards and prisoners. With the guards from the second shift taking part, things were more evenly balanced, but that didn't matter to the prisoners. Some of them had smashed tables, and some of them were using chairs for weapons. Jet was involved in a grapple with Nack. Vector and Big tried to stop Rastrel, but he grabbed them both and tossed them into the wall.

Amidst all this pandemonium, one thing and one thing only mattered to Sonic. He shoved some guards and prisoners aside to get to what really mattered to him. In that moment, he came upon Tails, who was battering Bean. Without question, Sonic unleashed his rage on the back of Tails' head. The blow knocked him to the floor, after which he recovered and turned his focus on Big Blue.

"So, ya think it's funny to electrocute someone!?" Sonic punched Tails square on the nose. "Ya think it's funny to shove someone's head in a toilet?" Sonic landed another massive blow on Tails' face. "Huh!? HUH!? Ya think it's funny to…"

Tails whacked Sonic over the head with his nightstick. "I tried to go easy on you, but you didn't listen! I run this show here!" He tried to hit Sonic again, but the blue speed demon grabbed his wrist.

"Yeah, real good show! I'm sure it'll be a smash hit!"

"So will this!" Tails pushed Sonic away and whacked him upside the head, sending him reeling. Ol' Blue got to his feet quickly.

"I tried to be your best bud and _this_ is how ya reward me? Well, ya get what ya give!" Sonic charged another Spin Dash and tried to hit Tails. However, the Two-Tailed Wonder dodged it and charged right back. Rather than attempting to dodge the attack, Sonic courageously charged at him. The force of the impact knocked him back a few feet, but he managed to grab Tails and hurl him against a wall. Despite the seismic hit, and despite losing his cap, Tails leapt to his feet and continued the fight.

"So, comin' back for more!?" said Sonic. "Why don't ya just give up, pal!? Look at this place! Your world is fallin' apart! We outnumber ya; get over it! BOOF!"

Tails struck Sonic with a flying jump kick. "GET OVER YOURSELF!"

Tails ran towards Sonic, readying his nightstick for another strike. Naturally, the Blue Blur dodged him using his super speed and set himself up for another attack. Giving it all they had, Sonic and Tails ran straight for each other, jumped and tried to strike each other in mid-air. The resulting impact was more earth-shaking than anything prior to that. Upon landing, it became evident who won that mini showdown: The two of them grasped themselves, reeling from the pain. Meanwhile, the other prisoners and guards fought their own fight, leaving Sonic and Tails to their own devices. After a few moments, the two combatants stood back up, energized as ever.

"All right, enough of this jive!" said Sonic. "Time for me to get serious!" He charged at Tails again, only for Tails to counter with his nightstick. Fortunately, Sonic evaded the attack and took advantage of it by putting Tails in a headlock. Once he did, Sonic started punching him in the head. Then, Tails countered by flipping him over on the ground. He followed this up by straddling Sonic and viciously striking him over and over. Though he hurt badly, Ol' Blue summoned the strength to grab Tails' wrist and stop the beating. In a surprise move, he grabbed Tails by the head and ripped some of his fur out, causing him to let out a high-pitched scream.

"YOU BASTARD!" Tails returned the favor by ripping some of Sonic's quills out, causing him to let out a loud yelp.

By now, Sonic and Tails were bleeding quite badly, but they still had plenty more strength left to carry on. Continuing the fight, Sonic pushed Tails off of him and against the wall. In his uncontrolled fury, Sonic kept bashing his friend's face in. To him, that little fox might as well have been colored red instead of orange. Finally, Tails ended this slugfest by kicking Sonic in the shin. He yelped, grasping his leg and laying on his back. Taking things further, Tails smacked his nightstick against the wall and broke it. Once he got on top of Sonic again, he attempted to stab him with the broken stick.

"No! What are ya doin', man!?" Sonic held Tails' wrist as tightly as he could.

"There's no escape for you now!" said Tails. "It's time to end this!" He tried to overcome Sonic's grip, but the blue dude held on for his life. Although the other prisoners and guards were giving it all they had, it wasn't as if they actually meant to kill anyone…was it?

In the next few seconds, none of that mattered. For the first time in this experiment, the red lights went off – as did some klaxons – signaling the end to this unchecked folly that should've been a straightforward experiment. Slowly, Sonic and Tails relinquished their grip on each other and their rampant rage. Some of the guards and prisoners kept smacking each other around for a bit, but they too stopped fighting eventually.

"Bravo! Well done, everybody!" A few seconds after the carnage and bloodlust had subsided, a familiar face entered: Dr. Tobor. Everyone was perplexed in some way or another.

"Hey…what's goin' on here!?" demanded Sonic.

"Sonic, you're so naïve! Don't you know who I am?" Tobor removed his beard and his wig, revealing his true identity. Everyone gasped in horror as they saw who it was: Dr. Ivo "Eggman" Robotnik.

"But why?" asked Tails.

"Good question!" said Robotnik. "You see, I've spent countless days formulating a new master plan. For months, I've toiled and troubled to bring it to completion, and all I needed was a few unknowing volunteers! That was where this experiment came in! Now…"

Robotnik entered a nearby utility closet. After moving aside a few things, he threw a couple of levers. Suddenly, the floor began to quake. Moments later, a large machine rose from beneath the floor. Astonished, the prisoners stepped out of the way. It looked like a typical evil villain machine, with a bunch of lights, gauges and other weird apparatus attached to it.

"Behold!" exclaimed Robotnik. "The Egg-O-Matic Animosity Capacitor!"

"Huh?" said Sonic and some of the other participants.

"Allow me to explain:" said Robotnik. "This marvelous device takes feelings of hatred, anger and frustration, and converts them into energy! That's where this prison experiment came in!"

"Why not just build it in a real prison?" asked Knuckles.

"Ohohohoho, that would've been far too easy, sonny boy!" replied Robotnik. "No, I found that my plan would work better if I created negative feelings where none existed before! Now I have enough energy to power my newest Ultimate Weapon! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Not if I have somethin' to say about it!" Sonic attempted to hit the Animosity Capacitor with a Spin Dash. Unfortunately, his attack did no damage to the machine. Everyone else tried their hardest, but they couldn't seem to break it.

"It's no use!" said Robotnik. "The more you hate it, the stronger it gets! That reminds me…I've been planning on connecting this machine to the Internet, and once I do, I will have the ultimate Hate Machine! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Huh?"

Robotnik took a look at the Animosity Capacitor and noticed that the "POWER" gauge was dropping slowly.

"What? How can this be happening!?"

* * *

Just outside of Station Square University, Amy was joyfully skipping down the sidewalk with Cream the Rabbit and her pet chao, Cheese. Then, they came to a sudden halt.

"Hey Cream, wanna play a game?" asked Amy.

"Sure!" replied Cream. "May we play Patty Cake?"

"Great idea!"

"Chao!"

Thus, it began: "Patty Cake, Patty Cake, baker's man, bake me a cake as fast as you can…"

* * *

Back inside the fake prison, the Animosity Capacitor was still losing power, albeit slowly.

"My power!" exclaimed Robotnik.

While the machine was losing power, Sonic had his hand on his chin, trying to think of something.

"I got it!"

After snapping his fingers, Sonic started playing some heavy metal licks on his air guitar. Following Sonic's lead, Tails started singing "Believe In Myself", while Knuckles clapped to the rhythm. Everyone else had similar ideas: Big did a funny dance, Rastrel sang some Roseinian folk tunes, Bean made funny noises, and Espio started meditating. From the dark void of hatred, the cell block soon became awash with positive emotions. Thanks to these good vibes, the Animosity Capacitor lost even more power.

"STOP THIS MADNESS, YOU IMBECILES!" cried Robotnik. Of course, nobody listened to him, because who listens to a big fat mad scientist with a weird mustache?

* * *

Outside, Amy and Cream stopped playing Patty Cake and broke out the jump ropes. They started skipping to the following rhyme:

"Root beer, root beer, ice cream float, who threw the Princess in the moat?"

* * *

Back inside, the prisoners and guards were still having a jubilant time. Despite Robotnik's best efforts, his frustration did little to slow the Animosity Capacitor's power loss. It wasn't long before it was almost out of power. Suddenly, the red lights and klaxons started going off again.

"WARNING, WARNING," said a computerized voice. "EXCESS POWER DRAIN DETECTED. POWER LEVELS CRITICAL. BACKUP SYSTEMS OFFLINE." The machine kept spouting off random warnings, and everyone stopped what they were doing.

"Get outta the building!" shouted Sonic.

Everyone did as Sonic ordered. Ordinarily, he would've hauled off at super speed, but he stayed behind for a few moments to help some of the slower people get out safely, except Robotnik.

Perhaps coincidentally, Amy, Cream and Cheese had moved on.

Anyways, once he was sure that everyone was going to get out OK, Sonic hauled ass and caught back up with Tails. Just as they got outside, the Animosity Capacitor exploded, taking out the cell block area and a good portion of the surrounding sectors. Though Robotnik had evaded the explosion, his grand plan had been foiled once again.

"I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!" shouted Robotnik.

Of course, without that fancy machine of his, hatred was useless.

* * *

Outside, the prisoners looked around in sheer awe. Sure, the daily rec periods allowed them to feel the sunshine, but this was their first true encounter with civilization ever since the experiment began – barring visitations, of course. Some of the prisoners and guards stood there as they looked around, while a few of them simply walked off any which way they could. For Sonic and Tails, the answer was obvious: They shambled down the sidewalk, bruised, bloodied and bushed. Neither of them spoke to each other.

"Sonic! Sonic!" Sonic and Tails turned around and saw Mighty running towards them. Then, Mighty skidded to a halt.

"Yeah, what it is?" asked Sonic.

"I wanted to thank you for helping me back there," said Mighty. "I don't know how I can pay you back."

"Hey, it's copacetic, man! Ya don't have to give me an arm and a leg; just be solid, OK?"

"OK! Goodbye, Sonic!" Mighty continued onwards, while Sonic and Tails kept walking slowly, trying to make sense of the week's events.

"Leaving so soon, comrade?" This time, when Sonic and Tails turned around, they saw Rastrel.

"What's shakin', Ras?" asked Sonic.

"You have been a valuable asset to this experiment," said Rastrel. "I never would have imagined that you would expose such machine."

"Ah…what can I say? I guess I still got it, ya know?"

"You would consider joining us, da? Your skills would be very much useful to our organization."

Sonic rubbed the back of his head. "Look…that sounds like a mondo cool offer and everything, but I'm gonna have to pass. Thanks anyways!"

"Do as you wish. Just remember…" Rastrel picked up Sonic with one hand. "…you have never heard of me before."

Sonic was sweating nervously. "Heh heh…never?"

Rastrel brought him in a little closer. "NEVER heard of me before."

"Uh…yeah…sure…no problem!" With one shaky hand, Sonic gave a thumbs up.

"Good." Rastrel calmly put him down. "Yuf vidanzeyn!" He waved goodbye to Sonic and Tails as he cracked his first smile since seeing Sonic.

"Same to you, Ras!" After Sonic waved goodbye, he and Tails kept moving along, still not talking to each other. Soon enough, they encountered Shadow down on the corner.

_(Well, howdy in the street!)_ thought Sonic. "Yo, Shadow!"

"Well, look who it is," said Shadow.

"Where were ya, man?" asked Sonic. "How come I didn't see ya during the big rumble?"

"Let's just say I knew I was right. Judging by your sorry condition, I think I can safely say I am. Farewell…6-9-1." Shadow peeled off in the opposite direction, while Sonic and Tails continued on. Finally, after many minutes of heavy silence, Tails worked up the courage to tap Sonic on the shoulder.

"S-Sonic…"

Sonic ignored him.

"Sonic…" Tails tapped him on the shoulder again.

Still, Sonic ignored Tails. Conversely, some passing bystanders gave them some strange looks.

"Oh my…" One of them even pulled out a phone and decided to contact a local public safety department. Neither Sonic nor Tails particularly cared.

"Sonic…" Tails put his hand on Sonic's shoulder.

Begrudgingly, the Blue Blur acknowledged his (perhaps former) best friend at last. Both of them stopped walking.

"S-Sonic…" said Tails. "I-I…"

"Tails, listen to me! LISTEN TO ME! Do you have any idea what ya did to me back there!? Do ya have any idea of what it was like to go through all that!? Do ya have ANY idea how bad this hurt me!? Huh!? HUH!? Ya know what!? HUH!?"

"W-w-w-w-w-w-what?" Tails raised his arms in front of his face, fearing what Sonic might do to him.

"…I forgive you, Tails."

Tails lowered his arms slightly. "…Huh?"

"Yeah, I know it sounds real trippy, but it's true. I mean…I mean…I know that wasn't all your fault…what ya did to me, I mean. Hell…even I didn't know that Robuttnik was tryin' to turn ya against me. Really, I didn't think I'd ever have the guts to actually say this, but…I'm sayin' it. I dunno what else I could say…and I ain't really sure I can find the right words to tell ya how I feel, except…I guess I don't wanna hold on to bein' mad for so long. Anyways…let me say this: Tails, if ya need help, I'll be there. No matter what happens, you're still my best bud, and you'll always be my best bud, no matter what!"

Tails slowly relaxed his posture. "R-really?"

Sonic nodded. "Really."

Tails said nothing. Then, something came over him: He formed tears in his eyes. At first, he tried to hold it back, but after a few seconds, he gave in and suddenly hugged Sonic.

"Oh Sonic…" Tails buried his head in Sonic's chest, crying.

Sonic returned his friend's embrace and just stood there for as long as it took, because sometimes, being a man of action means being a man of compassion. To unknowing observers, Sonic and Tails looked like victims of an assault, and to a certain degree, they were. However, these very same observers would not have seen the story behind the so-called assault, nor could they have possibly understood the love that kept them together through all of it.

* * *

**The story you have just read was based on Professor Philip Zimbardo's infamous 1971 experiment "The Stanford Prison Experiment" carried out at Stanford University in Stanford, California.**

**Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.**


	10. Sonic Says

Sonic and Tails were working on some special projects in a lab at Daniel Griffith High School. They were both dressed up in lab coats and goggles. There were various beakers and tubes on the table, each holding a variety of chemicals.

"Hey Tails, how's that project of yours comin' along?" asked Sonic.

"Not bad," replied Tails. "I may need to adjust the formula, though."

Sonic turned around. "Yeah, Tails and I are still good bros with each other. Shocking, right? Now, I may not be as big on science as my best friend, but I sure know somethin' about lab safety! There are lots of rules, but let me lay some of the more important ones on ya: 1. ALWAYS wear safety gear like goggles, coats and gloves when you're workin' in a lab! Trust me, ya don't wanna find out what happens when ya don't need that stuff anymore! 2. Don't eat or drink when you're workin'! 3. If ya spill anything, get help right away, and know where all the safety equipment's hangin' around! 4. Hot glass looks _exactly_ the same as cold glass! 5. Don't play tricks on anybody! Last, but most definitely not least, 6. DON'T just dump anything down the sink! Protect the environment, dispose of chemicals properly!"


End file.
